bedazzle

American  

[bih-daz-uhl] / bɪˈdæz əl /

verb (used with object)

bedazzled, bedazzling

1. to impress forcefully, especially so as to make oblivious to faults or shortcomings.

   Audiences were bedazzled by her charm.

   Synonyms:

   captivate, enchant, flabbergast, overwhelm, astound, dazzle

2. to dazzle so as to blind or confuse.

   The glare of the headlights bedazzled him.

   Synonyms:

   fluster, befuddle, blind, disconcert, bewilder, daze

3. to adorn with features that are brilliant, sparkly, splendid, etc..

   You don’t need to bedazzle your business card with glitter, but does it stand out from the crowd?

   Both the wealthy and the common flapper could bedazzle themselves in the popular long necklaces of the day.

---

bedazzle British  

/ bɪˈdæzəl /

verb

1. (tr) to dazzle or confuse, as with brilliance

---

Other Word Forms

• bedazzlement noun
• bedazzlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of bedazzle

First recorded in 1590–1600; be- + dazzle

Explanation

To bedazzle is to charm or impress someone, sometimes to the extent that they feel confused or overwhelmed. A charismatic speaker might bedazzle her audience so much that they all want to buy her new book. Something can literally bedazzle you, or blind you a little bit: the sun glinting off the ocean around your sailboat might bedazzle you. It's more common, however, to find this verb used in a figurative way, when a person amazes or impresses you. The root of bedazzle, the Middle English dasen, or "daze," possibly stems from the Middle Dutch word of the same spelling, which means "act silly."

Example Sentences

Especially the marvelous starry seed heads of A. christophii and A. schubertii that are durable enough to bedazzle the garden all summer.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2022

It's an unexpectedly sentimental exercise to take stock of how you bedazzle, spice, umami and sweeten your eating life — almost like paging through old photo albums.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2022

You don’t need to bedazzle your calendar with “steady” plans.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2022

But if not I got my mom ready to bedazzle my mask.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2020

She had hunted out the seed shops to taste their lichees, various as wines, and bought a sack that was taller than a child to bedazzle the nieces and nephews.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston