bedazzle
Americanverb (used with object)
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bedazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bedazzled,
past participle, past
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bedazzling
present participle
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to impress forcefully, especially so as to make oblivious to faults or shortcomings.
Audiences were bedazzled by her charm.
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to dazzle so as to blind or confuse.
The glare of the headlights bedazzled him.
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to adorn with features that are brilliant, sparkly, splendid, etc..
You don’t need to bedazzle your business card with glitter, but does it stand out from the crowd?
Both the wealthy and the common flapper could bedazzle themselves in the popular long necklaces of the day.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bedazzlesimple
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bedazzlessimple
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have bedazzledperfect
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has bedazzledperfect
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am bedazzlingprogressive
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are bedazzlingprogressive
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is bedazzlingprogressive
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have been bedazzlingperfect progressive
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has been bedazzlingperfect progressive
Past
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bedazzledsimple
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had bedazzledperfect
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was bedazzlingprogressive
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were bedazzlingprogressive
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had been bedazzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bedazzle
Explanation
To bedazzle is to charm or impress someone, sometimes to the extent that they feel confused or overwhelmed. A charismatic speaker might bedazzle her audience so much that they all want to buy her new book. Something can literally bedazzle you, or blind you a little bit: the sun glinting off the ocean around your sailboat might bedazzle you. It's more common, however, to find this verb used in a figurative way, when a person amazes or impresses you. The root of bedazzle, the Middle English dasen, or "daze," possibly stems from the Middle Dutch word of the same spelling, which means "act silly."
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.
See Examples For:
Especially the marvelous starry seed heads of A. christophii and A. schubertii that are durable enough to bedazzle the garden all summer.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022
On days over the years when I wasn’t reviewing, we would on occasion get to go backstage, an opportunity I grabbed only if I thought it would bedazzle my daughter.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 4, 2022
It's an unexpectedly sentimental exercise to take stock of how you bedazzle, spice, umami and sweeten your eating life — almost like paging through old photo albums.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2022
He wants to bedazzle, but also to evoke a strong emotional response.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2018
Last spring, Bubbe helped me bedazzle my purple cape.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
“Behold a Broadway musical that sings, dances and bedazzles so magnetically, it feels as if it were ordained for the screen by divine providence. ‘
From Washington Post ● Dec. 26, 2022
Behold a Broadway musical that sings, dances and bedazzles so magnetically, it feels as if it were ordained for the screen by divine providence.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2022
The production and props designer Stephanie Osin Cohen bedazzles an already palatial Long Island mansion in Lake Success, complete with a museum-worthy collection of framed Pomeranian portraits.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2021
Like most of the artist’s biggest successes, it takes an older, already-beloved song and then samples, bedazzles and interpolates it into a conversation among multiple languages, nationalities and cultures.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2016
This spot, so very African, bedazzles you in the daytime with flashings as of steel.
From La Sorcière: The Witch of the Middle Ages by Jules Michelet
When she took up the oversized, bedazzled pair of scissors to cut the ribbon, two sturdy men made sure they had a firm hold on her.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Parton later quietly organized for Bandit to be surpised with a custom acoustic guitar, bedazzled with rhinestones and the words "To Brigitte, Love Dolly" scribbled across it.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A pair of Trump bedazzled cowboy boots sit on a chair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
This year's carnival featured musical performances, bedazzled horses, huge dragons and dancing stilt walkers.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
Inside, Mom is sitting at the kitchen table on the phone, taking notes in a bedazzled notebook.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Wilber and his sister had spent days decorating the cap, bedazzling the bottom half in blue and white gems — the colors of the Nicaraguan flag.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
A white paper bag, Speedee the chef and a bedazzling roadside memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Speaking ahead of the final, Ghouri said her time on Strictly had been "an absolute dream, especially bedazzling my cochlear implant".
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2024
My mother is his enabler, sewing the sequins onto his blue satin capes, bedazzling the ivory jumpsuit with the deep V-neck.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
The metamorphosis was bedazzling, and I was mesmerized by her exquisite face, her dark luminous eyes, her appreciative smile.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
