bedazzle
Americanverb (used with object)
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bedazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bedazzled,
past participle, past
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bedazzling
present participle
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to impress forcefully, especially so as to make oblivious to faults or shortcomings.
Audiences were bedazzled by her charm.
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to dazzle so as to blind or confuse.
The glare of the headlights bedazzled him.
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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.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bedazzlesimple
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bedazzlessimple
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have bedazzledperfect
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has bedazzledperfect
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am bedazzlingprogressive
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are bedazzlingprogressive
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is bedazzlingprogressive
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have been bedazzlingperfect progressive
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has been bedazzlingperfect progressive
Past
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bedazzledsimple
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had bedazzledperfect
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was bedazzlingprogressive
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were bedazzlingprogressive
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had been bedazzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bedazzle
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Don’t let a fancy offer document bedazzle you and deter your due diligence.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
I bedazzle pieces I collect and I like how it reflects the color and turns into a rainbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
Last spring, Bubbe helped me bedazzle my purple cape.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
“Behold a Broadway musical that sings, dances and bedazzles so magnetically, it feels as if it were ordained for the screen by divine providence. ‘
From Washington Post ● Dec. 26, 2022
Behold a Broadway musical that sings, dances and bedazzles so magnetically, it feels as if it were ordained for the screen by divine providence.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2022
The production and props designer Stephanie Osin Cohen bedazzles an already palatial Long Island mansion in Lake Success, complete with a museum-worthy collection of framed Pomeranian portraits.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2021
Like most of the artist’s biggest successes, it takes an older, already-beloved song and then samples, bedazzles and interpolates it into a conversation among multiple languages, nationalities and cultures.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2016
This spot, so very African, bedazzles you in the daytime with flashings as of steel.
From La Sorcière: The Witch of the Middle Ages by Jules Michelet
Iconic fashion designer Bob Mackie, who has died aged 87, spent his career styling the biggest stars in his signature bedazzled, feathered and beaded couture.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“This is brilliant,” said Joe Sever, 36, a medical sales representative who brought his son and twin daughters, who were wearing matching denim jackets with their names bedazzled on the backs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
There was a palpable kindness that emanated throughout, as though every employee was working in her honor, whether performing in a show alongside her blood relatives or selling bedazzled tank tops.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
When she took up the oversized, bedazzled pair of scissors to cut the ribbon, two sturdy men made sure they had a firm hold on her.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Tuesday morning, when Jupiter arrives to pick me up for school, she’s beaming and fidgety, and her eyeballs look bedazzled.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
The move came after the co-founders noticed some users were bedazzling their Bricks with glue-on gems and asking for ways to personalize the tech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
My mother is his enabler, sewing the sequins onto his blue satin capes, bedazzling the ivory jumpsuit with the deep V-neck.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
"It's part of the bedazzling of the crown. With the Queen her clothes are bespoke. You can't buy them but it means they can be seen and admired."
From BBC ● May 31, 2022
But she is not without her still edgy approach, with a blaring, bedazzling score for violin, cello, clarinet/saxophone, trumpet, guitar and percussion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2022
I followed the gesture and gasped at the sight of a beautiful city that seemed to be floating in the middle of the lake, encircled by a magical mist, bedazzling us with its towering splendor.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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