as in to afflict
to cause persistent suffering to
a lingering cold bedeviled me for over a month
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bedevil
The argument isn’t without merit – since ESPN already has rights to these clips there isn’t much of the copyright concern bedeviling its parent company.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Since their discovery in 1982, exotic materials known as quasicrystals have bedeviled physicists and chemists.
—Patchen Barss, Quanta Magazine, 18 Aug. 2025
More recently, Airbus has been bedeviled by issues with the fuel-efficient engines that power the A320neo.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
That is a problem Trump simply doesn’t have right now, as waning global demand and a steady increase in output by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies have mitigated the concern about the energy price spikes that bedeviled the Biden administration.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Since their discovery in 1982, exotic materials known as quasicrystals have bedeviled physicists and chemists.
—Patchen Barss, Quanta Magazine, 18 Aug. 2025
More recently, Airbus has been bedeviled by issues with the fuel-efficient engines that power the A320neo.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
That is a problem Trump simply doesn’t have right now, as waning global demand and a steady increase in output by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies have mitigated the concern about the energy price spikes that bedeviled the Biden administration.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedevil
Verb
-
Health advocates fear this could lead to higher rates of illness among children, which could worsen the health care disparities that already afflict the Black community.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In 1988, a catastrophic heat wave and drought plagued the United States, killing thousands of people and triggering over $80 billion in damage.—
Zack Savitsky,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Getty Images The Department of Education posted a new update on Monday on massive application backlogs plaguing several federal student loan forgiveness and repayment programs.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The decree eliminated many of the civil liberties in Germany, opening the way for the Nazis to persecute their opponents.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Through the first-person narration of his protagonist, Nicholas, a teenager suddenly besieged by anxiety, Clune conveys with uncanny vividness what a panic attack feels like.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Israel tried to take over Gaza City before in this war, besieging it and launching raids in its streets, but tens of thousands of people remained.—
Aya Batrawy,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As a discipline, advertising is beset by all sorts of weird internal contradictions, although that’s probably to be expected, given the thankless job commercials are tasked with carrying out.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That event was still beset by confrontations, with someone jumping on a police officer, protesters smashing glass panes in the doors of the venue and members of the Proud Boys – a far-right group – clashing with demonstrators, according to local media reports.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bedevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedevil. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share