as in to afflict
to cause persistent suffering to
a lingering cold bedeviled me for over a month
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Recent Examples of bedevil
While the volume of orders binding Trump has been unprecedented, nationwide injunctions by individual judges in sympathetic locales have bedeviled the last two Democratic presidents as well.
—
The Editors, National Review, 19 May 2025
But in this primeval stage, nearly all of the potential Democratic candidates are discussing problems that have bedeviled their party for years: how to win back working-class voters, how aggressively to oppose President Trump and how to reach voters beyond the traditional news media.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 18 May 2025
The move is part of a broader attempt to become a leader in generative AI — a field that has bedeviled Apple.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 May 2025
Waiting for clarity The lingering uncertainty over Trump’s policies is also bedeviling central bankers who set interest rate policy, affecting the costs on everything from mortgages to credit cards.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bedevil
The Editors, National Review, 19 May 2025
But in this primeval stage, nearly all of the potential Democratic candidates are discussing problems that have bedeviled their party for years: how to win back working-class voters, how aggressively to oppose President Trump and how to reach voters beyond the traditional news media.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 18 May 2025
The move is part of a broader attempt to become a leader in generative AI — a field that has bedeviled Apple.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 May 2025
Waiting for clarity The lingering uncertainty over Trump’s policies is also bedeviling central bankers who set interest rate policy, affecting the costs on everything from mortgages to credit cards.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bedevil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedevil
Verb
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To put it into perspective, the National Organization for Rare Disorders estimates that one person on every elevator and four people on every bus are afflicted.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
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The perils afflicting these marooned vacationers turned the Triumph into a social media fascination — #CruiseShipFromHell was a trending topic at the time — and inspired parodies on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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The last few projects have been plagued by delays and massive cost overruns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
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Pachuca’s failure plagued Salzburg as well, with the Austrian side needing a boost after things turned for the worse against Real Madrid, only to be denied – despite their social media admin’s best pleas.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
Verb
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With his penchant for menacing models, black-out contact lenses and jutting shoulders, Owens is also a forever torchbearer for different kinds of beauty, and a safe haven for people who feel persecuted for being outside the norm.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 June 2025
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The regimes that persecute religious minorities are also the ones that oppress women, LGBTQ people, journalists, and dissidents.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Verb
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By 1972, Argentina was besieged by unprecedented political violence.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Gas stations are besieged, and shops are emptying of essentials.—
Scott Peterson,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 June 2025
Verb
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But agricultural leaders see this year as one of the industry’s most trying periods, beset by economic and political factors that could significantly reduce production.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
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The location, along C Street and the trolley line, is beset with challenges, including clusters of nearby homeless encampments.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bedevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedevil. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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