bedevil

[bih-dev-uh l]

See more synonyms for bedevil 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.

Origin of bedevil

First recorded in 1760–70; be- + devil

Related formsbe·dev·il·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bedevilment

Historical Examples

He felt as in some hideous dream—long-involved—a maze of delusion and bedevilment, from which there was no escape.
Mount Royal, Volume 3 of 3
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
But having entered, the confusion and bedevilment was ten times worse than even in the churchyard itself.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXIX.
Various
Scotland is the home of weird, uncanny creatures, who take lovely shapes for the bedevilment of poor weak souls.
Behind A Mask, Or A Woman's Power
A. M. Barnard
Isabelle did not formulate any plan of bedevilment for the Captain, but she watched for opportunities with lynx-eyed attention.
The Cricket
Marjorie Cooke
She had helped him—I had his own word for it that at Clockborough her bedevilment of the voters had really put him in.
The Coxon Fund
Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for bedevilment

bedevil

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 Formsbedevilment, 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

Word Origin and History for bedevilment

n.

1825, from bedevil + -ment.

bedevil

v.

1768, "to treat diabolically, abuse," from be- + verbal use of devil (q.v.). Meaning "to mischievously confuse" is from 1755; that of "to drive frantic" is from 1823. Related: Bedeviled (1570s, in a literal sense, "possessed"); bedeviling.

bedevil

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}bedevil

Related Words

Examples from the Web for bedevilment

Historical Examples

He felt as in some hideous dream—long-involved—a maze of delusion and bedevilment, from which there was no escape.

But having entered, the confusion and bedevilment was ten times worse than even in the churchyard itself.

Scotland is the home of weird, uncanny creatures, who take lovely shapes for the bedevilment of poor weak souls.

Isabelle did not formulate any plan of bedevilment for the Captain, but she watched for opportunities with lynx-eyed attention.

She had helped him—I had his own word for it that at Clockborough her bedevilment of the voters had really put him in.

bedevil

Word Origin and History for bedevilment

n.

bedevil

v.

Origin of bedevil