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Definition of baleful adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

baleful

adjective
 
/ˈbeɪlfl/
 
/ˈbeɪlfl/
(literary)
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  1. (of the way somebody looks at somebody/something) threatening to do something evil or to hurt somebody
    • a baleful glare/stare/look
    • Her baleful eyes glared vindictively.
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryBaleful is used with these nouns:
    • glance
    • glare
    See full entry
  2. having a harmful effect
    • the baleful influence of the city's wealthy elite
    • the baleful effects/consequences of the war
    3. Word OriginOld English bealufull (from archaic bale ‘evil as a destructive force’ + -ful).
See baleful in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: baleful

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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