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

Some rooms have private pools or gardens; all have beguiling views over the countryside. —Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

The country’s ancient capital is a beguiling city where a peaceful shrine, smoky record bar and bustling convenience store can all co-exist in the same block. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2025

Same story with a hot and sour short rib curry, the chunky, tamarind-tart braising medium beguiling long after the bones have been nibbled bare. —Amiel Stanek, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025

This is precisely what makes The Pitt so beguiling, even in the many stories with much more tragic endings. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for beguiling

• compiling
• profiling
• refiling
• reviling
• stockpiling
• unsmiling
• filing
• piling
• smiling
• styling
• tiling
• reconciling