baleful C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbeɪlfəl/ UK /ˈbeɪlfəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj menacing or threatening harm; full of malign influence He shot a baleful glare across the crowded room. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · menacing or threatening... menacingsinisterthreateningmalignantominousmalevolent ↔ Opposites benignbenevolentkindly Word family Derived forms balefullybalefulness Related forms balebane Etymology AI details From Old English bealofull, from bealu ('evil, harm, calamity') + -full; bealu is from Proto-Germanic *balwą. bealu Old English *balwą Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # baleful **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbeɪlfəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbeɪlfəl/ ## Meanings 1. menacing or threatening harm; full of malign influence ## Examples - He shot a baleful glare across the crowded room. ## Synonyms - menacing - sinister - threatening - malignant - ominous - malevolent ## Antonyms - benign - benevolent - kindly ## Derived Forms - balefully - balefulness ## Related Forms - bale - bane ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bealu - Root: *balwą ## Etymology From Old English bealofull, from bealu ('evil, harm, calamity') + -full; bealu is from Proto-Germanic *balwą. ## AI Etymology Baleful is from Old English bealofull, from bealu ('evil, harm, calamity') + -full; bealu is from Proto-Germanic *balwą. In present-day use, it means menacing or threatening harm; full of malign influence. Derived formations include balefully and balefulness. Related vocabulary includes bale and bane. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown