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bane

bane

30 7.8
Something that causes a lot of trouble or harm
  • noun
  • /beɪn/
translation icon : azote
  • That tape has been the bane of my existence.
  • bane of society
  • boon or bane

The pitted scarring I have on my temples and like cheeks, which are like the bane of my existence.

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Examples

  • For many students, homework is the bane of their summer vacation.

  • This man is the bane of my existence.

  • It's the bane of our lives.

  • This song is the bane of my whole existence.

  • It's both the bane and the benefit of mankind.

  • You have been the bane of my existence since they voted you apartment manager.

  • They're the bane of my existence.

  • It is the bane of my existence.

  • So, yeah, torrent sites are probably the bane to a film maker's existence.

  • Gang members have long been perceived as one of the most intractable banes of society.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

curse
vsbane
126 4.9

A person or thing that causes a lot of harm

causes extreme distress, misery, or death
nemesis
vsbane
45 8.1

A powerful enemy or thing that causes someone's defeat

is an impersonal cause of great distress not an opposing person or rival
scourge
vsbane
  • Formal
38 8.2

A person or thing that causes great suffering

is often a single severe cause of misery or death rather than widespread harm

Antonyms

269 1.4

A good thing or situation that brings happiness

38 4.4

A helpful thing that brings advantage or good results

Idioms

10 7.4

A thing that causes a lot of trouble for someone

A person or thing that causes a lot of trouble and annoyance for someone

Compounds

A garden plant with bright yellow flowers like a daisy

9.9

A poisonous plant with broad rounded leaves and yellow flowers

How Harmful

plague
266 6.6
to scourge
  • Formal
1 9.1
bane
30 7.8
nuisance
62 3.6
annoyance
21 3.2

Surface Forms

bane singular
banes plural

Etymology

Bane comes from an old English word that meant 'killer' or 'cause of death', often used for poisons or deadly things, and you can see the same idea in baneful. That's why today a bane is any person or thing that brings great harm, trouble, or misery.