SINCE 1828

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bewitching

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adjective be·witch·ing \ bi-ˈwi-chiŋ , bē- \

Definition of bewitching

:powerfully or seductively attractive or charming

a bewitching smile

her bewitching eyes

—

bewitchingly

adverb

- … I perceived in the captain's face that same bland, benevolent, and bewitchingly merry expression …
- —Herman Melville

Recent Examples of bewitching from the Web

This world is kaleidoscopic, a bewitching, terrifying desert sprinkled with edifying oases.

— matt peckham, Time, "One Year Later, No Man's Sky Is Becoming Delightfully Mysterious and Weird," 9 Aug. 2017
The French actress Jeanne Moreau, who became one of the most popular and bewitching film stars of the 1960s, died July 31 at 89 in Paris.

— adam bernstein, chicagotribune.com, "Jeanne Moreau, spellbinding movie star, dies at 89," 31 July 2017
That sense of danger, of risking it all in the face of mortality and loss, is what gives the Fiasco Theater’s bewitching revival its beauty and its bite.

— karen d'souza, The Mercury News, "Review: How magical is ‘Into the Woods’ in San Francisco?," 9 Mar. 2017
Kirchheimer films the face of these cities with an ardor for details, a fervent love of beauty, of line, form, color—and of the bewitching random wonders of reflections and shadows, the passage of pedestrians and the glint of sunbeams.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "A Jewish-Refugee Filmmaker’s Urban American Vision," 3 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bewitching.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of bewitching

1595

bewitching Synonyms

Synonyms

alluring, appealing, attractive, fascinating, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fetching, glamorous (also glamourous), luring, magnetic, seductive

Antonyms

repellent (also repellant), repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, unalluring

Related Words

absorbing, arresting, engrossing, enthralling, galvanic, gripping, hypnotic, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, riveting, spellbinding; enticing, tantalizing, tempting; exciting, haunting, interesting, intriguing, titillating; beckoning, inviting, winning; darling, delightful, pleasant, pleasing

Near Antonyms

boring, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome; abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, offensive, shocking, sickening; drab, dreary, dull, flat, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, ponderous

Learn More about bewitching

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bewitching Nglish: Translation of bewitching for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bewitching for Arabic speakers

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