bedeviling
adjective
be·dev·il·ing
bi-ˈde-və-liŋ 
bē-
: causing trouble, distress, or confusion : vexing
a bedeviling variety of options
… space can be as bedeviling as time.—
Thomas Mallon
Thomas Mallon… the bedeviling phenomenon known as lower back pain.—Alfred Meyer
Alfred Meyer
bedevilingly
adverb
… had developed a keen sense of how bedevilingly hard it was to control the boisterous energies released by the American Revolution.
—Joseph J. Ellis
Joseph J. Ellis
Examples of bedeviling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The official Black Caesar’s Revenge story synopsis reads: At the heart of this thrilling adventure story is the charismatic Black Caesar, hailing from the Oyo Kingdom (now Nigeria) and gradually bestowed with devastating (and bedeviling) powers from the deities known as Orishas.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 July 2025
Offices continue to be plagued by high vacancy rates (20.1% in this year’s third quarter, per Moody’s), the bedeviling result of the work-from-home mindset that the pandemic created.
—Larry Light, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
The big picture: Low turnout has been a bedeviling problem in Cleveland, where only 23% of eligible voters cast ballots in this year's primary.
—Sam Allard, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024
At that moment, before Surtain’s pick-six, Minshew was 9 of 9 for 115 yards, the touchdown and a pair of bedeviling first-down runs.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024
During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Soviet Union provided money and arms to the Irish Republican Army, bedeviling officials in London, who scrambled to stanch the flow.
—William C. Wohlforth, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
On the verge of victory against their most bedeviling of rivals, UCLA had suffered a 79-76 loss to end their real national title hopes with the rerun of a heartbreak.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2023
Such loss is bedeviling.
—Drea Brown Zócalo Public Square, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2020
Rachel Pope, of Liverpool, took to Twitter in late March 2020 to describe her bedeviling symptoms, then unnamed, after a coronavirus infection.
—Lindsey Tanner, Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec. 2022
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Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 July 2025
Offices continue to be plagued by high vacancy rates (20.1% in this year’s third quarter, per Moody’s), the bedeviling result of the work-from-home mindset that the pandemic created.
—Larry Light, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
The big picture: Low turnout has been a bedeviling problem in Cleveland, where only 23% of eligible voters cast ballots in this year's primary.
—Sam Allard, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024
At that moment, before Surtain’s pick-six, Minshew was 9 of 9 for 115 yards, the touchdown and a pair of bedeviling first-down runs.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024
During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Soviet Union provided money and arms to the Irish Republican Army, bedeviling officials in London, who scrambled to stanch the flow.
—William C. Wohlforth, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
On the verge of victory against their most bedeviling of rivals, UCLA had suffered a 79-76 loss to end their real national title hopes with the rerun of a heartbreak.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2023
Such loss is bedeviling.
—Drea Brown Zócalo Public Square, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2020
Rachel Pope, of Liverpool, took to Twitter in late March 2020 to describe her bedeviling symptoms, then unnamed, after a coronavirus infection.
—Lindsey Tanner, Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Bedeviling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedeviling. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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