bane

Definition

n. something that causes constant trouble, worry, or unhappiness. You use this to describe the one thing that always makes your life difficult.

n. a cause of continuous distress or annoyance. Often used in the fixed phrase 'the bane of someone's existence' to describe a persistent source of frustration.

simple

“The noisy neighbors are the bane of my life.”

contextual

“Constant technical glitches proved to be the bane of the project, delaying the launch by several months.”

complex

“While the new software promised efficiency, its steep learning curve and frequent crashes became the bane of the administrative staff, who preferred the older, more reliable system.”

Typically used in the singular and followed by the preposition 'of'.

“It is the bane of every fruit bowl: sliced banana that turns brown before it has reached the table.”

The Guardian 28 Sept 2026

The noun is derived from Middle English bane (“person or thing that destroys life, murderer, slayer; person who destroys the soul; destruction of life, death, doom; poison”), from Old English bana (“person or thing that causes death, murderer”), from Proto-West Germanic banō, from Proto-Germanic banô (“killer, murderer, slayer; death, bane”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“to slay, kill; to strike”). The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌾𐌰 (banja, “wound”) * Old Frisian bona (“death; murder”) * Old Norse bani (Danish bane (“death; murder”), Icelandic bani (“bane, death”), Swedish bane (“death; murder”)), Old Norse ben (“(moral) wound”) * Old English ben, benn (“mortal injury; wound”) * Old High German bano (“death”) (Middle High German ban, bane) * Old Saxon bano (“death; murder”), beni (“mortal injury; wound”)

From Northern Middle English ban, from bon (“bone”), from Old English bān, from Proto-West Germanic bain (“bone; leg”), from Proto-Germanic bainą (“bone; leg”), from bainaz (“straight”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂- (“to glow, shine”) (in the sense of a straight beam of light), or bʰeyh₂- (“to hit, strike”) (in the sense of an object for striking), or bʰeyH-n- (“pole; straight line”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.