1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
a dark, baleful sky portending a tornado
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2
as in adverse
causing or capable of causing harm
contends that the violent content of so much of popular entertainment is a baleful influence on our society
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3
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
a medicine that is beneficial in small doses but baleful in large
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of baleful
At another, this baleful ribbon emanates from the shell of a totaled BMW 325iS, the very model of car once associated in the region with gang terror — elsewhere shown cruising and spinning on dusty roads, like urban harbingers of doom amid rural tranquility.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
The effect is to rub our faces in the self-destructive horror of the heroine’s impulses and to shift that baleful sense of the erotic’s dark power from a disturbing subtext to a more sensationalized foreground.
—Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The company, Wave, is taking aim at AAT deficiency, marked by scarce or defective alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that neutralizes baleful enzymes released by immune cells.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 24 Oct. 2024
How can this be, given plastic’s baleful reputation?
—Steve Forbes, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for baleful
Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
The effect is to rub our faces in the self-destructive horror of the heroine’s impulses and to shift that baleful sense of the erotic’s dark power from a disturbing subtext to a more sensationalized foreground.
—Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The company, Wave, is taking aim at AAT deficiency, marked by scarce or defective alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that neutralizes baleful enzymes released by immune cells.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 24 Oct. 2024
How can this be, given plastic’s baleful reputation?
—Steve Forbes, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for baleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baleful
Adjective
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Although the change sounds ominous, the option only worked on three devices: the 4th generation Echo Dot, the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Show 15.—
Andrew Torgan,
CNN,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The ominous outlook sent FedEx shares down nearly 10 percent in Friday morning trading.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The takeover offer will be subject to customary closing conditions including market and business-related material, adverse change clauses and regulatory approval.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
-
No adverse events were reported after six weeks of treatment.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In Oklahoma, 56-year-old Wendell Grissom was declared dead by lethal injection at the penitentiary in McAlester at 10:13 a.m.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
21 Mar. 2025
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All are set to be executed by lethal injection except Mahdi, who has until next week to choose between lethal injection, the firing squad or the electric chair.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
When powered on, the TV reveals four children apparently trapped inside and held captive by sinister forces.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
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The new Rhino release amplifies the darkness, letting every sinister detail seethe to the surface.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Test results from Consumer Reports found potentially harmful chemicals in roughly half of the formula products.—
Geoff Harris,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Mar. 2025
-
This can be extremely harmful to the lungs of at-risk people, including children whose lungs are still developing, pregnant women, older adults and those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes, according to the American Lung Assn.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The first wave of deadly overdoses were tied to OxyContin and other prescription drugs, and subsequent waves have involved first heroin and more recently illicit versions of fentanyl.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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Such an assessment could have prevented the deadly Key Bridge collapse, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday.—
Ayesha Ali,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Bell, a Ritchie regular, offers an uncouth but equally menacing counterpoint to Brosnan, a mobster who isn’t pretending that he’s crawled out of the muck.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
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The rapper’s latest includes wistful trap anthems ruminating on his trials and tribulations, as well as menacing drill tracks and more melodic songs tapping into his romantic side to cater to his female fan base — all of which were run by Durk’s legal team before heading to streaming services.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But even with the buffer, extended time with a 200 percent wine tariff would be detrimental to Sinzer’s businesses and restaurants across America.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
21 Mar. 2025
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Those two-putts down the stretch were not detrimental, but did allow Spaun to stay in the tournament.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baleful. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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