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 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 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 Growing tent encampments have bedeviled urban leaders for years. — CBS News, 9 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedevil
  1. afflict
  2. plague
  3. persecute
  4. besiege
  5. beset
Verb
  • Forty-nine of the afflicted have been hospitalized; of those, thirty-four have gone home.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
  • Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
Definition of afflict
Verb
  • But one low-key issue plaguing the KC staff is the long ball.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026
  • Housing affordability continues to plague buyers The new law arrives as housing affordability remains strained.
    — Sarah Agostino,Mike Winters, CNBC, 11 July 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • Also on Wednesday, Blume returned a Pablo Picasso bust, Fernande/Beatrice (1905), to the descendants of German-Jewish dealer Alfred Flechtheim, who was persecuted by the Reich, reports TAN.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 July 2026
  • Mahmoud Khalil alleges private groups, including the conservative Heritage Foundation, and public leaders conspired to persecute him.
    — Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 14 July 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 18 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bedevil for Spanish Speakers

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