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
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Recent Examples of bedevil
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
Visit our website Demographic concentration bedevils the goal of integration.
—Ray Domanico, Washington Post, 9 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
This is just the latest in a string of shellfish heists bedeviling the Northeast where lobster, crabs, and oysters have gone missing in recent weeks.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Visit our website Demographic concentration bedevils the goal of integration.
—Ray Domanico, Washington Post, 9 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
This is just the latest in a string of shellfish heists bedeviling the Northeast where lobster, crabs, and oysters have gone missing in recent weeks.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedevil
Verb
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Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30 billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.—
Lanhee J. Chen,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
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But the overlap with unusually frigid temperatures afflicting Florida's Space Coast and the rest of the country have turned Crew-12's launch opportunities into an intricate dance around Artemis 2.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The coach said the team took into account the possibility that Canada was also plagued by the same issue.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The grocery industry is a notoriously difficult business plagued by razor-thin margins and a highly perishable inventory.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Secret Agent’s primary setting is a house full of misfits and refugees in the northeastern city of Recife, a safe harbor from those persecuted by the country’s military regime, ruled over by the inimitable Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria, whose role was written specifically for her).—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2026
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His previously peaceful world had been shattered when Vilna was occupied by the German army three months before and soon the Germans began to persecute and arrest Jews.—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, Don Lemon also enjoyed a standing ovation and was besieged by people all night to express their gratitude and support after he was arrested and charged for an anti-ICE protest just two days before.—
Rob LeDonne,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his own uncle, the movie is set for release on April 24 after being beset by delays and reshoots—reportedly due to legal issues around the question of how to deal with the pedophilia allegations that first came to light in the 1990s.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
2 Feb. 2026
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And some members are beset by internal problems.—
Brian Wong,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bedevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedevil. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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