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
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
When asked about Trump’s immigration policies — which have been controversial and are viewed by some Venezuelan residents as harmful to their community — Rodriguez first expressed support.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
As these processes unfold, the nuclear pore is also blocking things that don’t belong, such as harmful enzymes or misfolded RNAs.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And, more importantly, consider locking one in to protect against any adverse rate changes still to come.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
And the way to make amends, to get better, to rid ourselves of those burdens of indiscretion is to suffer a little, to cleanse a lot, to reflect more than anything especially under the literal heat of adverse conditions.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In an interview, Price framed the legislation as detrimental to public schools in Kansas City and across the state.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Others feared that the possible ICE detention center would be detrimental to the region’s booming tourism industry, which employs thousands of immigrant workers.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That $67 ticket informed me that the airline was selling seats to fill planes and slashing staff and services to dangerous levels.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
-
But the industry’s modern threats, while not wholly unprecedented, are dangerous in ways that are genuinely alarming.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The western half of the country spent the winter baking—nine states had their hottest winter ever and five their second-hottest—which worsened drought conditions and has raised the risks of damaging wildfires come spring and summer.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
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The potential storms could bring more damaging winds and heavy rain, the weather service said, with a slight chance for tornadoes to develop.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Knicks were held to less than 100 points for only the seventh time and had their fourth-worst three-point shooting performance of the season, going eight for 34.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The Pacers have the second-worst record in the NBA, 1 ½ games better than Sacramento.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Baneful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baneful. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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