Baleful
['beɪlfʊl;-f(ə)l]
Definition
(adj.) threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments; 'a baleful look'; 'forbidding thunderclouds'; 'his tone became menacing'; 'ominous rumblings of discontent'; 'sinister storm clouds'; 'a sinister smile'; 'his threatening behavior'; 'ugly black clouds'; 'the situation became ugly' .
(adj.) deadly or sinister; 'the Florida eagles have a fierce baleful look' .
Checked by Eli--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive.
(a.) Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad.
Edited by Adela
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Hurtful, injurious, noxious, mischievous, pernicious, baneful, ruinous, deadly, fraught with evil.
Checked by Dale
Examples
- As an incontrovertible proof that those baleful attributes were all there, Mrs Wilfer shuddered on the spot. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Salerno cast a baleful light upon Rome. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I used to feel it like a baleful air or sigh, penetrate deep, and make motion pause at my heart, or proceed only under unspeakable oppression. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Then Rebecca's twinkling green eyes and baleful smile lighted upon her, and filled her with dismay. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Issus glared at him, a baleful light in her hideous eyes. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Sleep was coy and hard to be won; dreams were distressing and baleful. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- His face set hard, and a baleful light sprang up in his grey eyes. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- I have but an indistinct idea of what happened for some time after this baleful object presented itself to my view. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
Checked by Dale