BESET Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

beset

verb

bi-ˈset

Definition of beset

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to he's been beset by a lack of self-confidence virtually his entire life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to attack

to take sudden, violent action against the unsuspecting tourists were suddenly beset by robbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 beset The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026 But there’s something to be said for dropping your adversary off in a Chicago beset by a mushroom cloud. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 Yet all of these conditions are still some way off from completion – and beset by a series of barriers. — Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026 In more recent years, BioWare has also been beset by a number of high-profile departures, including founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk in 2012 and longtime producer Mac Walters in 2023. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beset

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beset

Verb

Minnesota lawmakers with broad bipartisan support this year approved a new watchdog agency tasked with fighting fraud that's plagued social services programs in the state for years.

— Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Previous administrations have been plagued by poor accountability on large-ticket projects, a problem the president’s critics say remains the case under Tinubu.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Egypt's president sought to reassure the public that the country wouldn't attack Yemen, and that the military support is limited to defending Saudi territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Back in 2023, Stevens revealed he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome—a rare auto-immune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves—and was working to relearn how to walk and use his hands.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Calle 13 became famous not just for its edgy rap and urban music, but also for loudly calling out the economic and social inequalities that afflicted Puerto Rico.

— Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
The uncertainty that afflicts others about how to dress for one’s age, one’s job or even the weather doesn’t seem to unsettle this cohort.

— The Learning Network, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

During this same time his father had vanished behind the Bamboo Curtain and was almost certainly persecuted, possibly even murdered, by the same Communists that Hoover claimed to be fighting.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of persecute

Verb

French cities have been shaken in recent weeks by vandalism and looting sparked by cost-of-living demonstrations, amid a broader crisis besieging the country’s lame-duck centrist government that has spiked French bond yields.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Mehra – director of 2016 pic Baar Baar Dekho and creator of Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry – says that while Indian audiences are besieged by films and TV content right now, where Hunkkaar has cut through is in its subject matter.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of besiege

Verb

Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police.

— ELITSA GADEVA, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Republicans stormed to their first majority in the House (54 seats net) in 40 years and recaptured the Senate with eight new seats there as well.

— Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of storm

Browse Nearby Words

beseems

beset

besets

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Style

“Beset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beset. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of beset

verb

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