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Webster 1913 Edition


Bedevil

Be-dev′il

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Bedevilled
([GREEK]);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedeviling
or
Bedevilling
.]
1.
To throw into utter disorder and confusion, as if by the agency of evil spirits; to bring under diabolical influence; to torment.
Bedeviled
and used worse than St. Bartholomew.
Sterne.
2.
To spoil; to corrupt.
Wright.

Definition 2024


bedevil

bedevil

English

Verb

bedevil (third-person singular simple present bedevils, present participle bedeviling or bedevilling, simple past and past participle bedeviled or bedevilled)

  1. To harass or cause trouble for; to plague.
    Guerrilla attacks continued to bedevil the larger army's supply routes.
  2. To perplex or bewilder.

Translations

Usage notes

  • The spellings bedeviling and bedeviled are preferred in the US, while bedevilling and bedevilled are preferred in the UK. However, the choice of spellings is not universal.