Standard Lemma guide

bedevil

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: [bɪˈdɛvəɫ]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /bɪˈdɛvəl/
  • US: /biˈdɛvəl/
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH0 D EH1 V AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To harass or cause trouble for; to plague.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Guerrilla attacks continued to bedevil the larger army's supply routes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disturb, molest, pester, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting, antagonize, bother, disgruntle, botherate, bug, get, grate, burn up, bedevil, cheese off, devil, exasperate, frustrate, get up, grotch, hack off, hassle, irk, irritate, jazz, mommick, nark, nerve, pee off, peeve, peeve off, persecute, pique, piss off, provoke, rile, rile up, roil, storm, test someone's patience, tick off, trouble, try one's patience, vex, wind up, Idioms:, boil someone's piss, chap someone's hide, get on someone's nerves, get on someone's tits, get on someone's wick, get someone's back up, get someone's dander up, get someone's goat, get someone's Irish up, get someone's nanny, get someone's nanny-goat, get under one's goat, get under someone's skin, give someone the shits, grind one's gears, harsh one's mellow, put someone's back up, raise someone's hackles, rub someone the wrong way, rub up the wrong way, ruffle someone's feathers, tee off, torque off, badger, bait, beleaguer, dog, besiege, beset, chevy, give someone grief, harass, harry, hound, pick at, plague

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To perplex or bewilder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: befuddle, bemuse, addle, baffle, vex, lose, embroil, stick, stump, baffound, bamboozle, bedevil, throw, bemud, bewilder, bumfuzzle, complicate, confound, confuddle, confuse, confuzzle, dazzle, discombobulate, disconcert, blind, dumbfound, entangle, ferhoodle, flabagast, flabbergast, flabbergaster, flurry, fluster, flummox, fuddle, jumble, knot, mix up, muddle, muddy, ravel, perplex, puzzle

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To possess (someone's mind).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: originally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bodyjack

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • These questions confuse even the experts
  • This question completely threw me
  • This question befuddled even the teacher

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confuse, throw, fox, befuddle, fuddle, confound, discombobulate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: be

Narrower terms: demoralize, perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound, disorient, disorientate

5

verb

Meaning 5

treat cruelly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The children tormented the stuttering teacher

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: torment, rag, crucify, dun, frustrate

Antonyms: none provided

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

Narrower terms: madden, hamstring, tease, badger, pester, bug, beleaguer, persecute, oppress

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *dwísder. Ancient Greek διά (diá) Ancient Greek δια- (dia-) Proto-Indo-European *gwelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gwəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) Ancient Greek διαβάλλω (diabállō) Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos)bor. Latin diabolusbor. Proto-West Germanic *diubul Old English dēofol Middle English devel English devil English bedevil From be- + devil.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: endimoniar — to harass
  • Catalan: endiablar — to harass
  • Catalan: turmentar — to harass
  • French: tourmenter — to harass
  • French: harceler — to harass
  • German: plagen — to harass
  • German: heimsuchen — to harass
  • Italian: assillare — to harass
  • Italian: tormentare — to harass
  • Polish: dokuczać — to harass
  • Polish: dokuczyć — to harass
  • Polish: nękać — to harass
  • Polish: znękać — to harass
  • Portuguese: atormentar — to harass
  • Romanian: hărțui — to harass
  • Russian: му́чить (múčitʹ) — to harass
  • Russian: терза́ть (terzátʹ) — to harass
  • Spanish: atormentar — to harass