bedevil

verb

bi-ˈde-vəl How to pronounce bedevil (audio)
Definition of bedevilnext
as in to afflict
to cause persistent suffering to a lingering cold bedeviled me for over a month

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Oddly enough, Lewis — bedeviled by a series of injuries that included two season-ending knee surgeries since even before his MLB clock started ticking — has been healthy and unproductive. — John Shipley, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026 Waves of terrorist attacks, clashes between farmers and herders, as well as kidnappings for ransom have bedeviled Nigerian citizens in recent years, stifling economic growth and productivity in many parts of the country. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 26 June 2026 Published in 1978, Tuchman’s history still feels current – there are pandemics, oligarchs, inequality, misinformation campaigns and endless warring, to name a few things that continue to bedevil us. — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 1 May 2026 The device aims to compete with traditional game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation, which presently sell for $600 and up and are equally subject to the global component shortages that have lately bedeviled consumer electronics companies. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedevil
  1. afflict
  2. plague
  3. persecute
  4. besiege
  5. beset
Verb
  • Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
  • Advertisement Mission hijacking in the nonprofit space A similar overcrowding afflicts the pro-democracy space today.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
Definition of afflict
Verb
  • Andrew Harnik | Getty Images A rocky start The anniversary rollout has also been plagued by problems on the ground.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 3 July 2026
  • In the 30 years following the tune’s release, disappointment has only continued to plague the Three Lions.
    — Fisher Isbell, AJC.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • The Washington Principles also recognize that many sales of artwork by Jews during the Nazi era occurred while they were being persecuted, or under duress.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
  • Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.
    — Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of persecute
Verb
  • Boston was besieged by the Tartan Army.
    — Becky Sullivan, NPR, 28 June 2026
  • Boris Yeltsin, to everyone’s shock, had then walked through the crowd and climbed one of the Soviet tanks besieging him.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
Definition of besiege
Verb
  • The game was beset with performance issues, to the point where even high-end gaming PCs were struggling to achieve decent frame rates and about the only way to make the game playable was to rely on super-powerful cloud gaming rigs.
    — Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • An American experiment that seems, once again, beset by argument – over what that country is, who belongs to it and whether its oldest institutions can hold.
    — Chris Kenning, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of beset

Browse Nearby Words

bedecks
bedevil
bedeviled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bedevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedevil. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bedevil for Spanish Speakers

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