Synonyms for baleful
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Ominous — portending evil; ominous
ominous, sinister, pernicious, malevolent, menacing, bad, threatening, portentous, fatal, dark, foreboding, evil, destructive, ruinous, diabolic, demonic, noxious, malefic, iniquitous, deadly, mischievous, maleficent
Other
Definitions
- adj. 1
Portending evil; ominous.
- adj. 2
Deadly, mortal.
Related words
- Word family
- balefulness
Example sentences
- sinister Gustavo's tone and mannerisms were really sinister.
- ominous The sky looks ominous. I wonder if it will rain.
- malevolent This world is controlled by malevolent forces.
- pernicious A half-truth is more pernicious than a lie.
- baneful The world was tainted by the baneful influence of the demon king.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| baleful | rising | |
| sinister | rising | |
| ominous | rising | |
| malevolent | rising | |
| pernicious | steady | |
| baneful | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- bad1
- 4 letters
- dark1, evil2
- 5 letters
- fatal2
- 6 letters
- deadly2, lethal2
- 7 letters
- ominous3, demonic3, noxious2, ruinous3, malefic, baneful
- 8 letters
- terminal3, sinister3, menacing3, diabolic
- 10 letters
- pernicious3, malevolent4, foreboding3, maleficent, portentous3, iniquitous
- 11 letters
- threatening3, destructive3, mischievous3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (evil2 = 2 syllables).