Meaning & use
beseeching
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“beseeching” is a form of “beseech”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Showing an eager, desperate request, especially through a look or tone of voice.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a beseeching look.
Patterns
- a beseeching look
- a beseeching voice
The puppy gave him a beseeching look until he handed over a bite of sandwich.
She raised her hands in a beseeching gesture.
His beseeching voice echoed down the empty hall.
verbtransitiveliterary
Asking someone urgently and emotionally for something.
Grammar: -ing form of beseech; takes an object: beseeching the king.
Patterns
- beseeching someone to do something
- beseeching someone for something
She was beseeching the guard to let her pass.
The villagers came, beseeching the lord for food.
He knelt there, beseeching them for mercy.
Word forms
| base form | beseech |
|---|---|
| past tense | besought / beseeched |
Common combinations
- a beseeching look
- The dog's beseeching look made it impossible to say no.
- beseeching eyes
- She turned her beseeching eyes toward the judge.
- in a beseeching tone
- He spoke in a beseeching tone.
- beseeching someone for
- The child was beseeching her mother for another story.
- a beseeching gesture
- The beggar made a beseeching gesture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pleading
- Pleading is the everyday word and works in any register, while beseeching sounds more dramatic and old-fashioned.
- imploring
- Imploring is almost the same but suggests an even more earnest emotion.
- begging
- Begging is blunt and can sound desperate or even undignified, while beseeching has a more elevated tone.
- entreating
- Entreating is formal and implies trying to persuade with sincere appeal.
Opposites
Word family
- beseech verb
- to ask urgently and earnestly
- beseechingly adverb
- in a pleading manner
- besought verb
- past tense and participle of beseech
Commonly confused: beseeching or seeking? beseeching or beseeching?
beseeching vs seeking
Seeking means looking for something; beseeching means begging. They share letters but not meaning.
beseeching vs beseeching
Do not confuse with besieging, which means surrounding a place with forces.
Practice
With a ____ look, the child asked her father to let her stay up late.
Choose one answer.
A beseeching look is pleading. Suspicious, indifferent and furious do not suit someone politely asking for a favor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beseeching”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.