1
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
a dark, baleful sky portending a tornado
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
a medicine that is beneficial in small doses but baleful in large
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of baleful
This lushly red oval is obvious even through small telescopes, looking like a baleful eye staring out from the enormous gas giant planet.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 July 2024
No mention either of the untold billions of dollars lost due to their failure to truly reform the baleful criminal justice and bail laws that continue to allow sanguinary criminals unabated opportunity to terrorize the law-abiding public.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2024
There’s a baleful, country sound to the score, by the folk duo Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Levine (who is also credited with music supervision, orchestration and arrangements) suited to the Oklahoma setting and an aching desire to escape it.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
The hells could be said to resemble baleful dresses.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for baleful
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 July 2024
No mention either of the untold billions of dollars lost due to their failure to truly reform the baleful criminal justice and bail laws that continue to allow sanguinary criminals unabated opportunity to terrorize the law-abiding public.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2024
There’s a baleful, country sound to the score, by the folk duo Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Levine (who is also credited with music supervision, orchestration and arrangements) suited to the Oklahoma setting and an aching desire to escape it.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
The hells could be said to resemble baleful dresses.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for baleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baleful
Adjective
-
But by reciting the proposal again and again, Trump might be setting in motion very real—and extremely ominous—consequences for the West Bank and the entire region.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The historian Janis Mimura saw something more ominous: a new, proactive union of industry and governmental power, wherein the state would drive aggressive industrial policy at the expense of liberal norms.—
Kyle Chayka,
The New Yorker,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Environmental groups have long opposed the new reservoir and objected to a shorter judicial review, saying the project will release unacceptable amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the air in addition to other adverse impacts.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The advertisements also are subject to content restrictions, including no profanity, violence, firearms or material adverse to the city’s commercial interests.—
Devan Patel,
The Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2023, Idaho authorized the firing squad as a method of execution if lethal injection drugs were not available.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
-
While castor beans themselves are harmless, ricin, when extracted correctly in a complex process, is lethal and has been the stuff of Cold War assassinations and the plot of a popular episode on the Breaking Bad television series.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Nature intrudes on the innies’ lives in increasingly sinister ways, as when they’re spirited into the wilderness for a quasi-religious ORTBO, or Outdoor Retreat and Team Building Occurrence.—
Katy Waldman,
The New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Lithgow’s character humiliates Rush’s character by forcing him to perform a humiliating act on the dementia doll, reveling in the deeply sinister debauchery.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Scientists have found bits of plastic in the ocean that are coated in communities of microorganisms, including harmful bacteria.5 Jayakrishnan said the microplastics in the body may play a similar role, offering a medium for cancer-causing bacteria to grow and disrupt the gut microbiome.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Better yet, they can still be used on public lands to sustain local communities in place of harmful industrial extraction.—
TIME,
TIME,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Officers are often justified in using deadly force, as the grand jury concluded, but that carries public accountability, too.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Roya is fortunate, since the encounter on the road in 2017 could have turned deadly or at least subverted her quest to teach girls coding and other tech skills.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Prosecutors, witnesses and judges who were part of Jan. 6 criminal cases were subjected to frequent harassment, menacing and threats, according to testimony and statements made during criminal proceedings in the riot cases.—
Scott MacFarlane,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Van and Tai cut menacing figures in the wilderness storyline as well.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Studies have also shown that exercising during times of poor air quality—for instance, when there is a high level of these fine particulates in the air—is detrimental to our health.—
Claire Maldarelli,
Scientific American,
28 Feb. 2025
-
As a former personal injury lawyer, Sam recognized that attorneys without medical training often overlook critical details in medical records and bills, which can be detrimental to their cases.—
Ethan Stone,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baleful. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share