1
as in curse
a source of harm or misfortune
regarding the new laborsaving machinery as a bane, the 19th-century Luddites went about destroying it in protest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poison
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing
a plant that is believed to be the bane of the wolf
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bane
While this is a bane to many gardeners (bolting often renders plants bitter, woody, and inedible), in this strife also lies opportunity for those gardeners aiming toward environmental stewardship.
—
Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
Suddenly, my two-hour commute from our home in New York City to my job at the University of Pennsylvania went from inconvenient but sustainable to the bane of my existence.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Inclement weather has long been the bane of festivals and outdoor tours, and differentiating between climate change and a stretch of bad storms can be tricky.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
In the first episode, my friend Anthony, who’s also a cameraman on the show, talks about vertical video being the bane of society.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bane
Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
Suddenly, my two-hour commute from our home in New York City to my job at the University of Pennsylvania went from inconvenient but sustainable to the bane of my existence.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Inclement weather has long been the bane of festivals and outdoor tours, and differentiating between climate change and a stretch of bad storms can be tricky.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
In the first episode, my friend Anthony, who’s also a cameraman on the show, talks about vertical video being the bane of society.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bane
Noun
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Her goal helped the club secure its first berth in the NWSL playoffs, snapping a ninth-place curse that had haunted the team since its debut in 2021.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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So begins a rollicking tale of superstition, a family curse and second chances.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The same applies to other mouse and rodent remedies, such as poison or live traps.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Nov. 2025
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Set in a Wednesday-esque room, complete with moody lighting and adorned with props including dead roses, a gold candelabra, a black violin and faux poison, Gaga and Zeta-Jones sit behind a table and whisper into a microphone, aiming to help viewers relax.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Still, Vegas had been a nemesis that had beaten Denver eight games in a row before the Broncos flipped that and swept in 2024.—
Greg Cote
November 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
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In the same vein, denim tends to be the nemesis of carry-on-only travelers.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The result is a hybrid system capable of autonomously targeting and treating disease sites with minimal disruption.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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As Hoffine noted, hunger often kills not just through starvation, but by weakening immune systems to the point where people can't fight off disease.—
Nurith Aizenman,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Israeli policy has made the very subject toxic, turning normalization into a domestic and strategic risk for Arab leaders and their governments.—
GALIP DALAY,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Oct. 2025
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Environmental advocates say the new regulation of air toxics, which was required under a 2022 bill called Public Protections From Toxic Air Contaminants, will make the state’s air cleaner and its people healthier.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bane. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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