An Enchanted Place

This week’s Wednesday Word is:

Part of Speech

(Transitive) Verb

• beguiles (third-person singular simple present)
• beguiled (simple past and past participle)
• beguiling (present participle)

Related Words

Pronunciation

bɪˈɡaɪl / be·guile / bi-ˈgī(-ə)l

Meaning

1. to deceive or delude
2. to charm or divert
3. to pass (time) pleasantly

Word Origin

First recorded in 1175–1225. From Middle English begilen, begylen; equivalent to be- +‎ guile. Compare Middle Dutch begilen (“to beguile”).

Synonyms

1. deceive, entice, mislead, seduce, betray, bluff, double-cross, cheat, chisel, con, delude, dupe, exploit, finesse, flimflam, gyp, hoodwink, impose on, jockey, juggle, lure, manipulate, play, play for a sucker, rook, rope in, scam, string along, suck in, take, take in, trick, wile
2. allure, attract, amuse, bewitch, captivate, charm, cheer, delight, distract, divert, enchant, engross, entertain, entice, fascinate, lure, magnetize, occupy, end, slay, solace, vamp, knock dead, knock out, seduce, sweep off one’s feet, tickle, tickle pink, tickle to death, turn on, wow

Use in a Sentence

1. The politicians’ central policy was to beguile the populace with fancy words and empty promises in order to hoodwink them into believing they were actually acting in their best interests.
2. She beguiles the audience with her beauty and poise.
3. The day was beguiled away in a blissful haze of sunshine and fine food; their happiness sustained by the belief that their love would be eternal.

If you would like to join in with this activity in any way, feel free to do so. You could either share a Wednesday Word of your own – this week beginning with the letter B – or you could use my word, or Millie Thom’s, as inspiration for a post. This could be a piece of poetry, flash fiction, or any form of prose you choose. Just share a link in the comments so we can see what you’ve been up to!