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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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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Medical examiners would also conduct a chemical analysis during an autopsy to test for poisons and medical conditions.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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The poison can cause disorientation, seizures and death.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Brandon Miller exited with left shoulder soreness and didn’t return, leaving a gray cloud over the Hornets’ scrappy performance against a team that’s been their arch nemesis.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Oct. 2025
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Trump risks not just a setback to his redistricting power play ahead of the midterms, but delivering a victory to Newsom, his nemesis and a potential 2028 presidential candidate.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Featuring women at the intersections of gender, age, disability, and disease, Pinjar is a nuanced illustration of this.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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The country has also eradicated once-rampant tropical diseases like malaria.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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