bedevil

[ bih-dev-uhl ]

/ bɪˈdɛv əl /

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See synonyms for: bedevil / bedeviled / bedevilment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), be·dev·iled, be·dev·il·ing or (especially British) be·dev·illed, be·dev·il·ling.

to torment or harass maliciously or diabolically, as with doubts, distractions, or worries.

to possess, as with a devil; bewitch.

to cause confusion or doubt in; muddle; confound: an issue bedeviled by prejudices.

to beset or hamper continuously: a new building bedeviled by elevator failures.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of bedevil

First recorded in 1760–70; be- + devil

OTHER WORDS FROM bedevil

be·dev·il·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bedevil in a sentence

Even the fiercest hunting animals we so bedevilled that they learned to leave our places alone.
Before Adam|Jack London
It was an entirely new sensation, to be so bedevilled by such a man, and to know that in wartime I could not reply.
At Plattsburg|Allen French
That gambling outfit from the West has bedevilled one or two good citizens in Gotham town.
The Danger Mark|Robert W. Chambers
Probably it was some form of bedevilled cider that supplied the material of his debauch; but even cider was not easily to be had.
A Modern Instance|William Dean Howells

And in his bedevilled and dishonoured soul there was no thought of self.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XIX (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for bedevil

bedevil

/ (bɪˈdɛvəl) /

verb -ils, -illing or -illed or US -ils, -iling or -iled (tr)

to harass or torment

to throw into confusion

to possess, as with a devil

Derived forms of bedevil

bedevilment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bedevil

Origin of bedevil

OTHER WORDS FROM bedevil

Words related to bedevil

How to use bedevil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bedevil

Derived forms of bedevil