bedevil
verb (used with object)
to torment or harass maliciously or diabolically, as with doubts, distractions, or worries.
bedeviling
-
present participleof bedevil.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
"But they will soon be bumping against the external problems that are bedeviling the industry."
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
Speaker Nancy Pelosi spent the next two years bedeviling Mr. Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Mateo represents a paradox bedeviling the U.S. nursing landscape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2025
The em dash is already quite accustomed to controversy, with a long history of charming and bedeviling authors, journalists and academics.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2025
Amigo, put yourself in the place of one of these caciques, with white men bedeviling you for a treasure which you never even troubled yourself to pick up when it lay about loose.
From Days of the Discoverers by Florence Choate
