beguiling

adjective

be·​guil·​ing bi-ˈgī-liŋ 

bē-

: agreeably or charmingly attractive or pleasing

a beguiling manner

a beguiling aroma

… it's safe to say that the Balkans have never produced a politician so beguiling.

—Jane Kramer

beguilingly adverb

The restaurant is physically attractive, dishes are beguilingly presented, and the cuisine is always logically inventive, often inspired, sometimes sublime.

—Jay Jacobs

Synonyms

• artful
• cagey
• cagy
• crafty
• cunning
• cute
• designing
• devious
• dodgy [chiefly British]
• foxy
• guileful
• scheming
• shrewd
• slick
• sly
• subtle
• tricky
• wily

Examples of beguiling in a Sentence

a smart and beguiling child who can manipulate her parents with alarming ease

the beguiling allure of a life of crime

Recent Examples on the Web

The sneaky double-zero is perhaps the most beguiling. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024

Waltzing along the fine line between preciousness and profundity, Brion’s lilting piano theme perfectly echoes the tone of a beguiling romance that — by design — struggles to find a balance in its feelings. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024

Horn’s mysterious, beguiling work is considered essential in Germany, the country where she was based. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Sep. 2024

On the Space One Pro, this track was utterly beguiling. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above