as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the incredibly baneful effect that drug addiction has on so many communities
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Recent Examples of baneful
The baneful effects of war on public speech and freedoms in Russia have been well recorded.
—
Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2022
The impact these soldiers had on the South was baneful.
—New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022
To home in on what gives these peculiar primates their baneful bite, Fry and his colleagues collected the underarm secretions from a handful of wild slow lorises housed at a research station in Indonesia and isolated the proteins within.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Feb. 2020
We are mired in a baneful pandemic unlike anything endured for a century, parsing our lives into 14-day increments of health and survival — or not.
—Peter M. Leschak, Star Tribune, 31 July 2020
This resulted in all the baneful consequences of the French Revolution, which Edmund Burke so brilliantly exposed in his Reflections on the Revolution in France.
—Jaithirth Rao, Quartz India, 4 Nov. 2019
Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores.
—Richard Lawson, HWD, 20 July 2017
Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores.
—Richard Lawson, vanityfair.com, 20 July 2017
Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2022
The impact these soldiers had on the South was baneful.
—New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022
To home in on what gives these peculiar primates their baneful bite, Fry and his colleagues collected the underarm secretions from a handful of wild slow lorises housed at a research station in Indonesia and isolated the proteins within.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Feb. 2020
We are mired in a baneful pandemic unlike anything endured for a century, parsing our lives into 14-day increments of health and survival — or not.
—Peter M. Leschak, Star Tribune, 31 July 2020
This resulted in all the baneful consequences of the French Revolution, which Edmund Burke so brilliantly exposed in his Reflections on the Revolution in France.
—Jaithirth Rao, Quartz India, 4 Nov. 2019
Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores.
—Richard Lawson, HWD, 20 July 2017
Chaos convincingly ebbs and flows in this rattling film, a baneful tide lapping at some of history’s most troubled shores.
—Richard Lawson, vanityfair.com, 20 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baneful
Adjective
-
Research has found that building roads can fragment habitats, disrupt ecosystems, and increase erosion and sediment pollution in drinking water, among other potentially harmful outcomes.—
Hayley Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
-
This kind of leadership without empathy is not only unsustainable but actively harmful to morale and performance.—
Jody Michael,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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The other four are: Columbus, New Mexico, on July 14 Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on July 21 Del Rio, Texas, on August 18 Laredo, Texas, on September 15 Each reopening will be evaluated for adverse effects before proceeding to the next phase.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
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Then, notify the FDA MedWatch adverse event program.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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This is especially detrimental because personal health doesn’t send urgent alerts the way business metrics do.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
Along with cannabis, alcohol consumption and smoking can be detrimental to fertility.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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And the Santa Barbara temblor revealed just how dangerous brick buildings built in that era could be.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
-
After landing, the most dangerous times, statistically speaking, are takeoff, approach, and initial climb.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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The primary risks for the Midwest will be damaging winds, hail, flash flooding and the possibility of tornadoes.—
Daniel Manzo,
ABC News,
23 June 2025
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The National Weather Service issued a moderate risk alert for severe thunderstorms across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota, warning that conditions could lead to tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail throughout Friday evening and overnight.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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But others are, at best, psychological signposts and, at worst, internet inside-jokes.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
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Just recently the Wizards, whose only NBA championship was as the Bullets in 1979, had the second worst record this season only to miss out on the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and slide to No.6 in the upcoming draft.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baneful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baneful. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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