Definition of banefulnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word baneful different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of baneful are deleterious, detrimental, noxious, and pernicious. While all these words mean "exceedingly harmful," baneful implies injury through poisoning or destroying.

the baneful notion that discipline destroys creativity

In what contexts can deleterious take the place of baneful?

While in some cases nearly identical to baneful, deleterious applies to what has an often unsuspected harmful effect.

a diet found to have deleterious effects

When is detrimental a more appropriate choice than baneful?

The words detrimental and baneful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, detrimental implies obvious harmfulness to something specified.

the detrimental effects of excessive drinking

Where would noxious be a reasonable alternative to baneful?

The words noxious and baneful can be used in similar contexts, but noxious applies to what is both offensive and injurious to the health of a body or mind.

noxious chemical fumes

When is it sensible to use pernicious instead of baneful?

Although the words pernicious and baneful have much in common, pernicious implies irreparable harm done through evil or insidious corrupting or undermining.

the claim that pornography has a pernicious effect on society

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 baneful The baneful effects of war on public speech and freedoms in Russia have been well recorded. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2022 We are mired in a baneful pandemic unlike anything endured for a century, parsing our lives into 14-day increments of health and survival — or not. Peter M. Leschak, Star Tribune, 31 July 2020 To home in on what gives these peculiar primates their baneful bite, Fry and his colleagues collected the underarm secretions from a handful of wild slow lorises housed at a research station in Indonesia and isolated the proteins within. Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Feb. 2020 This resulted in all the baneful consequences of the French Revolution, which Edmund Burke so brilliantly exposed in his Reflections on the Revolution in France. Jaithirth Rao, Quartz India, 4 Nov. 2019 Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores. Richard Lawson, HWD, 20 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baneful
Adjective
  • The plasma process also produced very little smoke or tar, reducing harmful secondary pollutants typically associated with biomass conversion and making the technology a cleaner way to produce renewable solid fuel.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 July 2026
  • At the same time, its flowers attract beneficial predatory insects, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps, that naturally hunt harmful garden pests.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • These conditions can increase your vulnerability to adverse effects from poor air quality.
    Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 4 July 2026
  • Valentine also testified that the FDA encourages infant formula companies to send in all adverse event reports and that nothing prevented Mead Johnson from doing so.
    David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Adjective
  • And beneath the surface of those turquoise waters, marine life continues on without knowing their life is colliding in detrimental-to-them ways.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Substance abuse is greatly detrimental in its own right, of course, but sometimes the issues that stem from it—stress, emotional exhaustion, secrecy, avoidance—can have similarly devastating long-term effects on a person’s wellbeing.
    Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Adjective
  • Teri handled higher-value finds and saw that potentially dangerous items – like firearms and knives – got to the local sheriff’s office.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Looking back through the sequence, Brazil have good numbers back and there is little need for anyone to overcommit — but a lazy tackle from behind leads to a free kick in a dangerous area.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026
Adjective
  • Each specimen was weighed and put in the same-sized containers filled with superworm larvae to determine the optimal ratio of larvae to specimen for thorough cleaning without damaging bones.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
  • And such a gap can be far more damaging than any technology shortfall.
    Eugenia Mykuliak, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • That if you were deemed, as an enslaved person, if you were deemed troublesome or in some way unwanted, you would literally be sold down the river from the more northern states to the deeper south where you would potentially be treated even worse.
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Offer Real Value, Not Leftovers Most product bundles fail not because the idea is bad but because the execution misses what consumers actually want.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Baneful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baneful. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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