as in duped
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1
as in fascinated
to attract or delight as if by magic
the magician effortlessly beguiled and amazed the children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceived
to cause to believe what is untrue
beguiled her into believing that yet another worthless item would enhance her life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tempted
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
was beguiled by the promise of easy money as a drug dealer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of beguiled
Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Today, the urgent challenge before the royal family and many other institutions protected by mystique is whether the often degenerate select few in charge can still persuade the mass of people to remain beguiled and accept authority.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Now based in New York City, his first Texas solo museum show, staged at The Contemporary, revealed not only magnificently smooth objects seemingly beguiled from wood, with enough thorny surfaces to remind the viewer of the complicated life of the immigrant today.
—Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026
Even the uninitiated will be beguiled, though, by the director’s meditative style, his skillful portrait of industrial upheaval and decay, and the sense of wistfulness driving Tao’s lovely performance.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
Monroe has to slowly tilt from being beguiled and intrigued by Stevens to totally terrified by him, and her ability to pull it off while explosions and gun battles are going on around her sells the film’s tonal shifts perfectly.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Blessed with a certain photogenic look that’s beguiled moviegoing audiences since the 1930s and cursed with having the conversation start and stop there, Sweeney has become one of the few sure bets for stardom among the current A-listers-under-30 set, as well as a brand unto herself.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
OpenAI took a step on one of these items Tuesday, announcing a model that predicts whether a user is a minor based on their behavior and usage patterns — a challenge that has beguiled the tech industry for decades.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 21 Jan. 2026
In the five years just before war set in, these were among the dwellings that had beguiled Heinz Gaube (1940–2022), a German academic at the Oriental Seminar of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen.
—JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Critics accused Son of being too beguiled by charismatic founders rather than critically parsing financials.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Today, the urgent challenge before the royal family and many other institutions protected by mystique is whether the often degenerate select few in charge can still persuade the mass of people to remain beguiled and accept authority.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Now based in New York City, his first Texas solo museum show, staged at The Contemporary, revealed not only magnificently smooth objects seemingly beguiled from wood, with enough thorny surfaces to remind the viewer of the complicated life of the immigrant today.
—Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026
Even the uninitiated will be beguiled, though, by the director’s meditative style, his skillful portrait of industrial upheaval and decay, and the sense of wistfulness driving Tao’s lovely performance.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
Monroe has to slowly tilt from being beguiled and intrigued by Stevens to totally terrified by him, and her ability to pull it off while explosions and gun battles are going on around her sells the film’s tonal shifts perfectly.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Blessed with a certain photogenic look that’s beguiled moviegoing audiences since the 1930s and cursed with having the conversation start and stop there, Sweeney has become one of the few sure bets for stardom among the current A-listers-under-30 set, as well as a brand unto herself.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Renee Nicole Good was a pawn of leftist politicians and activists who beguiled her into believing that ICE officers are the bad guys and that there is virtue in attacking them, breaking the law and resisting arrest.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
OpenAI took a step on one of these items Tuesday, announcing a model that predicts whether a user is a minor based on their behavior and usage patterns — a challenge that has beguiled the tech industry for decades.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 21 Jan. 2026
In the five years just before war set in, these were among the dwellings that had beguiled Heinz Gaube (1940–2022), a German academic at the Oriental Seminar of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen.
—JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beguiled
Verb
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Spielberg has been fascinated by the UFO topic his whole career, with his 1977 classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind still considered by many to be the most compelling dramatization of the subject.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Shawn, too, is wracked and fascinated by the human ability to smile and smile and be a villain.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Residents should not be deceived by the unsupported and absurd revenue claims of the Moore administration.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Mar. 2026
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So some people got deceived and believed it.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Listening to music rushes her work because she is tempted to sculpt or sew or cook to the beat.—
Claire Salinda,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
With the number of sleep innovations these days, we’re often tempted to go back to basics.—
Blake Bakkila,
Architectural Digest,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The dissenting conservatives—Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito—who were sympathetic to major questions in its prior applications are more credulous this time.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
But no one outside of the most credulous corners of the media are buying it.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The team’s top five leaders in minutes this year are all returning players, giving the program unusual continuity during an era when successful mid-major squads often lose their best players through the transfer portal, enticed by more money from power conference schools.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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Players from all over were enticed by the Raiders, who opened up the coffers to land key free agent additions, including linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The scam reportedly tricked Russian drone operators into giving away the location of their Starlink terminals, allowing Ukrainian artillery and drones to target them.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
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The people staffing the scam centers might have been tricked by a false job ad.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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They were shocked and horrified—and yet entirely seduced.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Bale has the more interesting role as the youth who at first chooses Hitler out of expedience, but then becomes seduced by power and status.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The show's plot involves a corrupt mayor, gullible townspeople and a kindhearted Bigfoot who longs for community.—
Reena Advani,
NPR,
16 Feb. 2026
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The result is that the current generation of LLMs is far more gullible than people.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beguiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beguiled. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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