as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the incredibly baneful effect that drug addiction has on so many communities
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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
The impact these soldiers had on the South was baneful.
—New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022
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
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
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
Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores.
—Richard Lawson, vanityfair.com, 20 July 2017
Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2022
The impact these soldiers had on the South was baneful.
—New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022
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
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
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
Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores.
—Richard Lawson, vanityfair.com, 20 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baneful
Adjective
-
One of the most common and harmful examples is the Social Security Administration phishing scam, which targets unsuspecting individuals with alarming and deceptive messages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 July 2025
-
Avoid charring or cooking over high flames, which can create harmful compounds (like HCAs and PAHs).—
Lauryn Higgins,
Time,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Possible issues associated with consuming too much of the spice include allergic reactions (that can range from mild irritation to serious symptoms), stomach pain and potential adverse interactions with medications such as blood thinners.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
-
Earth’s magnetic field naturally protects living things and Earth-orbiting satellites from most adverse effects of space weather.—
Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti,
The Conversation,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
These dams have detrimental ecological impacts in an area that is already experiencing a high amount of litter.—
Ruby Grisin,
The Courier-Journal,
11 July 2025
-
Major Mistakes Around Culture And Values In M&A Deals • Ignoring or underestimating inaccurate rumors and gossip—these are highly detrimental to overall organizational and individual morale.—
Ashutosh Labroo,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Making Their Lives Too Easy Wealth without work creates a dangerous illusion.—
Anatoly Iofe,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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While air temperatures on Friday were forecasted in the 70s, water temperatures in the region remained in the dangerous mid-50s range.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Texas and the Upper Midwest could continue to see strong to severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail through the weekend.—
Taylor Ward,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
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These storms may bring damaging winds, heavy rainfall and hail.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Tom threw batting practice to Jackson, took Ethan down in the garage to vent and hit soft toss after a bad day at school.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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But there's also nothing worse than missing a connection that delays your trip by hours or even a full day.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baneful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baneful. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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