Word of the Day

: July 16, 2011

beguile

verb bih-GHYLE

What It Means

1 : to deceive by cunning means

2 : to draw notice or interest by wiles or charm

3 : to cause (as time) to pass pleasantly

beguile in Context

Samantha managed to beguile her classmates into doing the work for her.

"She is considerably younger than Goldman, 25 to his 47 when they meet, and at times, her youth seems to be part of what fascinates and beguiles Goldman, who describes himself as immature, an occasional 'man-boy.'" -- From a book review by Robin Romm in the New York Times, April 7, 2011

Did You Know?

"Deceive," "mislead," "delude," and "beguile" all mean to lead astray or frustrate, usually by underhandedness. "Deceive" implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness (as in "they tried to deceive me about the cost"). "Mislead" implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional (as in "I was misled by the confusing sign"). "Delude" implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth (as in "we were deluded into thinking we were safe"). "Beguile" stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving (as in "they were beguiled by false promises"), and more generally describes the use of that charm to capture another’s attention.