英语词汇“bedevil”的英英意思、用法、释义、翻译、读音、例句、短语、词组-英语词典

To bedevil is to "be" a bit like a "devil." To bedevil means to cause trouble, or, when talking about a person, to torment or harass.

Bedevil has nothing to do with the eggs you eat on a picnic. Those are just plain deviled. And although, in the 1570s, bedeviled could be taken to mean literally "possessed," the word no longer involves an actual devil, either. It just applies to people or things that make trouble like a devil would want to do.

TASTY MORSELS

Vocabulary Shout-Out: Scott Shane for "Bedeviled"

In chronicling WikiLeaks' involvement in the unfolding Edward J. Snowden affair, Scott Shane, who is the national security reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, made use of the word bedevil in "Offering Snowden Aid, WikiLeaks Gets Back in the Game":

WikiLeaks once again seized the global spotlight on Sunday by assisting Edward J. Snowden in his daring flight from Hong Kong, mounting a bold defense of the culture of national security disclosures that it has championed and that has bedeviled the United States and other governments.

Bedevil, which here means "to confuse or torment," dates from the 18th century, when the idea that the devil fouled up our lives on a day-to-day, operational basis was a commonly held belief. Although the devil as culprit has been removed from our current understanding of bedevil, its meaning has not managed to assign blame elsewhere — making the word useful in its silence as to the source of the trouble it refers to. When you miss an early morning flight, isn't "bedeviled by circumstance" easier to admit to than sleeping through your alarm and spacing out in the shower?

WORD FAMILY

bedevil: bedeviled, bedeviling, bedevilled, bedevilling, bedevilment, bedevils+/bedevilment: bedevilments

USAGE EXAMPLES

Was that misstep a learning experience, or a preview for the types of conflict that will bedevil the Trump administration?

BBC(Dec 19, 2016)

What, other than bedeviling Beijing, are its goals?

Washington Post(Dec 14, 2016)

These are complex issues that bedevil policy experts, but Jackson said Carson’s leadership abilities will see him through the challenges of running HUD.

Washington Post(Dec 05, 2016)

1v be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly

Syn|Hypo|Hyper

befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, fuddle, throw
confuse, disconcert, flurry, put off

cause to feel embarrassment

demoralize

confuse or put into disorder

amaze, baffle, beat, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, get, gravel, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, puzzle, stick, stupefy, vex

be a mystery or bewildering to

disorient, disorientate

cause to be lost or disoriented

mix up, stump

cause to be perplexed or confounded

riddle

set a difficult problem or riddle

elude, escape

be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by

have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

2v treat cruelly

Syn|Hypo|Hyper

crucify, dun, frustrate, rag, torment

madden

drive up the wall; go on someone's nerves

hamstring

make ineffective or powerless

badger, beleaguer, bug, pester, tease

beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke

annoy continually or chronically

单词	bedevil
释义	bedevil (once / 9924 pages) v To bedevil is to "be" a bit like a "devil." To bedevil means to cause trouble, or, when talking about a person, to torment or harass. Bedevil has nothing to do with the eggs you eat on a picnic. Those are just plain deviled. And although, in the 1570s, bedeviled could be taken to mean literally "possessed," the word no longer involves an actual devil, either. It just applies to people or things that make trouble like a devil would want to do. TASTY MORSELS Vocabulary Shout-Out: Scott Shane for "Bedeviled" In chronicling WikiLeaks' involvement in the unfolding Edward J. Snowden affair, Scott Shane, who is the national security reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, made use of the word bedevil in "Offering Snowden Aid, WikiLeaks Gets Back in the Game": WikiLeaks once again seized the global spotlight on Sunday by assisting Edward J. Snowden in his daring flight from Hong Kong, mounting a bold defense of the culture of national security disclosures that it has championed and that has bedeviled the United States and other governments. Bedevil, which here means "to confuse or torment," dates from the 18th century, when the idea that the devil fouled up our lives on a day-to-day, operational basis was a commonly held belief. Although the devil as culprit has been removed from our current understanding of bedevil, its meaning has not managed to assign blame elsewhere — making the word useful in its silence as to the source of the trouble it refers to. When you miss an early morning flight, isn't "bedeviled by circumstance" easier to admit to than sleeping through your alarm and spacing out in the shower? WORD FAMILY bedevil: bedeviled, bedeviling, bedevilled, bedevilling, bedevilment, bedevils+/bedevilment: bedevilments USAGE EXAMPLES Was that misstep a learning experience, or a preview for the types of conflict that will bedevil the Trump administration? BBC(Dec 19, 2016) What, other than bedeviling Beijing, are its goals? Washington Post(Dec 14, 2016) These are complex issues that bedevil policy experts, but Jackson said Carson’s leadership abilities will see him through the challenges of running HUD. Washington Post(Dec 05, 2016) 1v be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly Syn\|Hypo\|Hyper befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, fuddle, throw confuse, disconcert, flurry, put off cause to feel embarrassment demoralize confuse or put into disorder amaze, baffle, beat, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, get, gravel, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, puzzle, stick, stupefy, vex be a mystery or bewildering to disorient, disorientate cause to be lost or disoriented mix up, stump cause to be perplexed or confounded riddle set a difficult problem or riddle elude, escape be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by be have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun) 2v treat cruelly Syn\|Hypo\|Hyper crucify, dun, frustrate, rag, torment madden drive up the wall; go on someone's nerves hamstring make ineffective or powerless badger, beleaguer, bug, pester, tease annoy persistently oppress, persecute cause to suffer purge oust politically beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke annoy continually or chronically
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