bedevil
Americanverb (used with object)
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to torment or harass maliciously or diabolically, as with doubts, distractions, or worries.
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to possess, as with a devil; bewitch.
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to cause confusion or doubt in; muddle; confound.
an issue bedeviled by prejudices.
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to beset or hamper continuously.
a new building bedeviled by elevator failures.
verb
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to harass or torment
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to throw into confusion
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to possess, as with a devil
Other Word Forms
- bedevilment noun
Etymology
Origin of bedevil
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.
Employment reforms have bedeviled successive Indian governments since the country first opened its economy to the world in 1991, after nearly half a century of autarky.
Especially moving in “Neptune’s Fortune” is the insight and empathy Mr. Sancton brings to his consideration of the book’s bedeviled but oddly gallant protagonist.
Luckily, Scarlet comes up with a straightforward solution to everything that’s been bedeviling her: She simply declares an end to war, forever.
However, securing the benefits of a relationship while navigating the associated risks is the hard task that has bedevilled governments.
From BBC
Crime rates have dropped, homeless tent encampments that block sidewalks and bedevil retail businesses have shrunk and foot traffic and transit ridership have risen.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
