Bane
/beɪn/
nounBeginnerCommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
A source of great trouble, distress, or annoyance.
/beɪn/
nounnegativeBeginner
General
Something that causes great distress or annoyance.
Pollution is a bane to the environment.
💡 Simply: Something that causes a lot of problems.
More Examples
2
His laziness was the bane of his career.
How It's Used
Literature
"The constant noise was the bane of her existence."
Informal Conversation
"That traffic jam was a real bane this morning."
From Old English *bāna, meaning 'death' or 'murderer'. It's related to words denoting killing or destruction.
Historically, 'bane' had a stronger association with poison and death, reflecting its Old English origins.
Memory tip
Think of it as 'pain' with an extra 'b' for 'big' trouble.
Practice
bainbanee
Usage
10%Spoken
90%Written