as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
some bedeviled motorists have complained that the road maps are more a hindrance than a help
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
a lingering cold bedeviled me for over a month
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bedeviled
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Libya’s central bank is suing Zimbabwe’s finance minister and national oil company for more than $100 million, the latest development in a spiraling debt crisis that’s bedeviled the southern African nation for a quarter of a century.
—William Clowes, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
The acrimony that bedeviled so many bands that NOFX avoided for 40 years had finally caught up with them.
—Jim Ruland, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
Perhaps in Iran, which has been engulfed by mass protests, leading the president to threaten action against an oppressive regime that has bedeviled the United States for nearly half a century.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
These questions will be tough, likely impossible, to answer to everyone's satisfaction — and several have bedeviled lawmakers, and Iowans, before.
—Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Des Moines Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Daniel Cole/Reuters Hiring slowed in November, resuming sluggish performance that has bedeviled the labor market for much of this year and elicited a series of interest rate cuts, a fresh jobs report on Tuesday showed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
The resulting statement included commitments by both sides to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to renounce the use of force to acquire land, something that had bedeviled their relations for decades.
—Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Fraser was bedeviled by Elizabeth Hurley’s Beelzebub in Bedazzled (2000), earned career-best reviews for the Vietnam drama The Quiet American (2002), and landed a role in the Best Picture-winning Crash (2004).
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
Mattison was excited about the possibility of helping the Dolphins solve their short-yardage shortcomings, a problem that had bedeviled them the previous two seasons.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Libya’s central bank is suing Zimbabwe’s finance minister and national oil company for more than $100 million, the latest development in a spiraling debt crisis that’s bedeviled the southern African nation for a quarter of a century.
—William Clowes, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
The acrimony that bedeviled so many bands that NOFX avoided for 40 years had finally caught up with them.
—Jim Ruland, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
Perhaps in Iran, which has been engulfed by mass protests, leading the president to threaten action against an oppressive regime that has bedeviled the United States for nearly half a century.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
These questions will be tough, likely impossible, to answer to everyone's satisfaction — and several have bedeviled lawmakers, and Iowans, before.
—Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Des Moines Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Daniel Cole/Reuters Hiring slowed in November, resuming sluggish performance that has bedeviled the labor market for much of this year and elicited a series of interest rate cuts, a fresh jobs report on Tuesday showed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
The resulting statement included commitments by both sides to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to renounce the use of force to acquire land, something that had bedeviled their relations for decades.
—Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Fraser was bedeviled by Elizabeth Hurley’s Beelzebub in Bedazzled (2000), earned career-best reviews for the Vietnam drama The Quiet American (2002), and landed a role in the Best Picture-winning Crash (2004).
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedeviled
Adjective
-
Be careful about coming on so strong that others are bewildered or defensive.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Just a direct, almost bewildered question aimed at the creator.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the revelry was also plagued with the yearly medical emergencies, arrests and public safety challenges.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Republicans and Democrats at the Capitol alike say fraud prevention is a top priority this year in the wake of scandals like the one that plagued housing stabilization services, so this is just one bill related to this topic this session.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When Sneaky Snook in his mail truck happened upon the wreckage near the boundary of Meredith Downs, sheep were scattered along the roadside and the fence, bleating, dazed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Still, some songs can disrupt our dazed habit of barely listening and give us something to participate in.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In New Zealand, Māori men are famously afflicted — by their eighties, nearly half may have (or have had) gout.—
Jan Steyn,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026
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Cabbages are afflicted by cabbage webworms, cabbage white moths, cabbage loopers, and other worms.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The horse is very confused by your utter lack of consideration as to the consequences.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
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Late last year, Walsh told the Tribune the government’s move to press charges had left her shocked and confused.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Making up between 8% to 17% of the country’s total population, Iran’s Kurdish minority has long been persecuted under the Islamic Republic.—
John Calabrese,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2026
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The mission said intelligence agencies routinely persecuted political adversaries, falsifying evidence to justify arrests and in some cases resorting to torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Troopers from all 23 MSP barracks, including the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE) team, will be on the lookout for aggressive, distracted, and impaired driving.—
Andrew Adeolu,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
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What’s more likely, Jones said, is that someone will be driving just plain fast, distracted, or intoxicated.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His fourth attempt was foiled when he was arrested at the airport and detained and tortured for several months.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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The former soldier also said Haitian police mentally and physically tortured the Colombian suspects after they were taken into custody.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bedeviled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedeviled. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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