bedevils

verb

present tense third-person singular of bedevil
as in plagues
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

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 bedevils Even so, a violent curse bedevils them, a sophisticated feat of careful writing and directorial sensitivity that sets Chiarella apart from the gorehounds. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026 David Walliams’ story of the Meek family and the whimsical monster that bedevils them is now a family film, thanks to Taika Waititi and director Jeffrey Walker. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026 Visit our website Demographic concentration bedevils the goal of integration. — Ray Domanico, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026 The question that bedevils many Internet companies revolves around who is ultimately liable for violations of users’ data rights. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedevils
  1. plagues
  2. afflicts
  3. persecutes
  4. tortures
Verb
  • Walker, who leads the NFL with 360 rushing yards, also is adept at avoiding an issue that plagues many ball carriers and receivers in the NFL.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • What plagues America right now, in Cox’s telling, is not bad manners, or even political division, but contempt—the conviction that those who don’t share our opinions or values are beneath us and unworthy of good-faith engagement.
    — McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of plagues
Verb
  • The painful condition, which causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow on other parts of the body, afflicts 1 in 10 women worldwide.
    — Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Unraveling Medical Mysteries Patients with undiagnosed conditions suffer not only from their symptoms but also from the uncertainly of not knowing what afflicts them.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflicts
Verb
  • China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
    — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutes
Verb
  • At first, all signs point to Bobby, including a mercenary who survived the attack on Halstead Manor that Eddie tortures to extract information.
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • On his latest Hyperdub release, the Japanese producer born Takahide Higuchi sings more than on previous records but tortures his voice through a gauntlet of pitch-shifter effects.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026
Definition of tortures

Browse Nearby Words

bedevilments
bedevils
bedew
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Cite this Entry

“Bedevils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedevils. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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