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 of beguiling

• cunning
• cute
• slick
• subtle
• deceptive

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 dummy for a team-mate to score is one of football’s most enjoyable and beguiling acts. — Stuart James, New York Times, 23 June 2026

The beguiling combination of strategy and luck. — Ashley Parker, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

The insularity of You Follow Me makes the album beguiling. — David Harris, SPIN, 11 June 2026

Her family’s money was confiscated; her favorite uncle, Otto, was murdered by the Nazis; shrapnel lodged in Hepburn’s neck, giving it its beguiling tilt. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026

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