besetting

[ bih-set-ing ]

See synonyms for besetting on Thesaurus.com

adjective

constantly assailing or obsessing, as with temptation: a besetting sin.

Origin of besetting

First recorded in 1540–50; beset + -ing²

Words Nearby besetting

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

How to use besetting in a sentence

The besetting problem I have with it to this day, is do people want to know this?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination | Mindy Farabee | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is also a timely insight into the paralysis besetting US politics.
The Financial Times Reviews "Patriots" | David Frum | July 2, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
I found that I had been allowed to acquire certain bad habits and besetting sins—most people do.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
And then he walked about the room, reflecting on the curse of his life—his besetting sin—irresolution.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
Cleverly though they manipulate, cleanliness is not their besetting weakness.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.

Borrowing was his besetting sin, and he was always head over ears in debt.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
She held parley with her besetting sin, and her desire of 'the accursed thing' grew stronger.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VII, December 1850, Vol. II | Various

British Dictionary definitions for besetting

besetting

/ (bɪˈsɛtɪŋ) /

adjective

tempting, harassing, or assailing (esp in the phrase besetting sin)

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

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