Balaamite influence
- noun
- /ˈbæləˌmaɪt ˈɪnfluəns/
- Literature
:
influencia balaamita
- The charity workers were cautious of the Balaamite influence that could mislead donors into supporting fraudulent causes.
Examples
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Some critics argue that media bias can act as a modern Balaamite influence on public opinion.
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The company's sudden policy change was attributed to a Balaamite influence within upper management.
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She warned the committee about a Balaamite influence that could undermine their purpose.
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The politician's actions reflected a clear Balaamite influence.
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Many followers fell victim to the Balaamite influence of their leader.
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He spoke out against the Balaamite influence in the organization, which was steering its members away from their true mission.
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After examining the situation, the board realized that a Balaamite influence was swaying their decisions for personal gain.
Synonyms
A harmful effect that slowly damages people or groups
Antonyms
How Deceptive
1
6.7
- Literature
1
9.0
483
4.8
45
3.6
759
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
Balaamite + influence
The phrase relies on the culturally specific reference to Balaam (a biblical figure) to convey a morally negative or deceptive sense; this background is not recoverable from the literal words. Even if a learner knows 'influence' and recognizes 'Balaamite' as name-derived, they would not be able to infer the idiomatic negative/deceptive meaning without prior cultural or biblical knowledge, so it is not transparent.
Etymology
Balaamite influence comes from the Bible story of Balaam, a man who gave wrong advice for money and led people into bad choices. So today the phrase means a 'negative' or 'misleading' influence that 'leads people astray'.