Dictionary.com

baneful

[ beyn-fuhl ]
/ ˈbeɪn fəl /
See synonyms for: baneful / banefulness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

destructive; pernicious: a baneful superstition.
deadly; poisonous: baneful herbs.

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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
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Origin of baneful

First recorded in 1570–80; bane + -ful

OTHER WORDS FROM baneful

bane·ful·ly, adverbbane·ful·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH baneful

baleful, baneful

Words nearby baneful

bandy-legged, bandy legs, Bandywallop, bane, baneberry, baneful, Banerjea, Banff, Banff National Park, Banffshire, bang
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to baneful

baleful, calamitous, deadly, deleterious, destructive, disastrous, evil, fatal, harmful, hurtful, noxious, pernicious, pestilent, poisonous, venomous, wicked, pestilential, malefic

Example sentences from the Web for baneful

British Dictionary definitions for baneful

baneful
/ (ˈbeɪnfʊl) /

adjective

archaic destructive, poisonous, or fatal

Derived forms of baneful

banefully, adverbbanefulness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012