Words / C2

bi-GYL/bɪˈɡaɪl/

To beguile is to charm or trick someone, or (literary) to make time pass pleasantly: beguile investors, beguile the hours. Charm and deceive are the two everyday poles; guile is cunning. Do not beguile a committee with a dashboard and no join.

Meaning

To charm or trick someone into doing something, or to make time pass pleasantly (literary).

Examples

• “A beguiling dashboard hid a join that was still a spreadsheet.”
• “A beguiling dashboard hid a join that was still one spreadsheet.”
• “Charm is the lighter sense; deceive is the darker. Guile is the noun of cunning. Beguiling is the adjective. Time beguiled is literary “passed pleasantly”. A graph without a join is the exam warning.”

Good to know

Charm / deceive (literary). Everyday: charm or trick. Noun family: guile. Adjective: beguiling. Not a substitute for a real join.

Near in meaning

charm

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