baneful C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbeɪnfəl/ UK /ˈbeɪnfʊl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj causing harm, ruin, or destruction; poisonous or pernicious The baneful influence of the cult slowly destroyed every family it touched. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · causing harm, ruin, or... harmfulperniciousnoxiousdestructivepoisonousdeleterious ↔ Opposites beneficialwholesomesalutary Word family Derived forms banefullybanefulness Related forms bane Etymology AI details From bane ('poison, cause of ruin') + -ful; bane is from Old English bana ('slayer, cause of death'). bana Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # baneful **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbeɪnfəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbeɪnfʊl/ ## Meanings 1. causing harm, ruin, or destruction; poisonous or pernicious ## Examples - The baneful influence of the cult slowly destroyed every family it touched. ## Synonyms - harmful - pernicious - noxious - destructive - poisonous - deleterious ## Antonyms - beneficial - wholesome - salutary ## Derived Forms - banefully - banefulness ## Related Forms - bane ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bana ## Etymology From bane ('poison, cause of ruin') + -ful; bane is from Old English bana ('slayer, cause of death'). ## AI Etymology Baneful is from bane ('poison, cause of ruin') + -ful; bane is from Old English bana ('slayer, cause of death'). In present-day use, it means causing harm, ruin, or destruction; poisonous or pernicious. Derived formations include banefully and banefulness. Related vocabulary includes bane. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown