ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Baleful

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈbeɪl.fəl/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Baleful is an adjective meaning Portending evil; ominous.

Meaning

Portending evil; ominous.

More Meanings

  1. (obsolete) Miserable, wretched, distressed, suffering.
  2. (obsolete) Deadly, mortal.

Example Sentences

Thou balefull Messenger, out of my sight:
round he throws his baleful eyes, that witnessed huge affliction and dismay […]
I learned the speech of birds; now every tree Screams out to me a baleful prophecy.
[…] he went off alone with his family, and, watched by the day's red baleful eye, pumped the pump-car homeward, […]

Word Forms

Synonyms for baleful

Depending on context, synonyms include foreboding, portentous, augurous, bodeful, boding, dire.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include ominous, forbidding, minacious, menacing, minatory, threatening.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.