Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense bedevils, present participle bedevilling, past tense, past participle bedevilledregional note: in AM, use bedeviling, bedeviled
verb
If you are bedevilledby something unpleasant, it causes you a lot of problems over a period of time.
[formal]
His career was bedevilled by injury. [beVERB-ed]
The development has been bedevilled with problems. [beVERB-ed]
...a problem that has bedevilled service industries for decades. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: plague, worry, trouble, frustrate More Synonyms of bedevil
More Synonyms of bedevil
bedevil in British English
(bɪˈdɛvəl)
verbWord forms: -ils, -illing, -illedWord forms: US-ils, -iling or -iled(transitive)
1.
to harass or torment
2.
to throw into confusion
3.
to possess, as with a devil
Derived forms
bedevilment (beˈdevilment)
noun
bedevil in American English
(biˈdɛvəl; bɪˈdɛvəl)
verb transitiveWord forms: beˈdeviled or beˈdevilled, beˈdeviling or beˈdevilling
1.
to plague diabolically; torment; harass
2.
to possess as with a devil; bewitch
3.
to confuse completely; muddle
4.
to corrupt; spoil
Derived forms
bedevilment (beˈdevilment)
noun
Examples of 'bedevil' in a sentence
bedevil
Conspiracy theories, as Sarima had said, seemed to bedevil her thinking.
Gregory Maguire WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST (1995)
1 (verb)
Definition
to harass or torment
His career was bedevilled by injury.
Synonyms
plague
I'm not going to plague you with a lot of questions.
worry
‘Why didn't you tell us?’ – ‘Didn't want to worry you.’
trouble
Is anything troubling you?
frustrate
torture
He would not torture her further by arguing.
irritate
Their attitude irritates me.
torment
My older brother used to torment me by singing it to me.
harass
a celebrity routinely harassed by the paparazzi
hassle (informal)
The children started hassling me as soon as I sat down.
aggravate (informal)
What aggravates you most about this country?
afflict
There are four main problems that afflict these people.
pester
He's always hanging round and pestering me.
vex
Everything about that man vexes me.
irk
The rehearsal process irked him increasingly.
give someone grief (British, South Africa)
2 (verb)
Definition
to throw into confusion
Synonyms
confuse
She was confused by this new turn of events.
confound
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.
3 (verb)
Definition
to harass or torment
Synonyms
get on your nerves (informal)
be on your back (slang)
distress
breathe down someone's neck
get under your skin (informal)
Her mannerisms can just get under your skin and needle you.
get up your nose (informal)
get in your hair (informal)
get on your wick (British, slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of afflict
Definition
to cause someone suffering or unhappiness
There are four main problems that afflict these people.
Synonyms
torment,
trouble,
pain,
hurt,
wound,
burden,
distress,
rack,
try,
plague,
grieve,
harass,
ail (literary),
oppress,
beset,
smite
in the sense of aggravate
Definition
to annoy
What aggravates you most about this country?
Synonyms
annoy,
bother,
provoke,
needle (informal),
irritate,
tease,
hassle (informal),
gall,
exasperate,
nettle,
pester,
vex,
irk,
get under your skin (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
get up your nose (informal),
be on your back (slang),
piss you off (taboo, slang),
rub (someone) up the wrong way (informal),
get in your hair (informal),
get on your wick (British, slang),
hack you off (informal)
in the sense of confound
Definition
to astound or bewilder
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.