bedevils
|be-dev-ils|
/bəˈdɛvəl/
(bedevil)
to cause ongoing trouble or torment
Etymology
'bedevil' originates from English, formed by adding the prefix 'be-' to the noun 'devil' (originally Old English 'deofol'), where 'be-' served to form verbs meaning 'to affect or surround with' and 'devil/deofol' referred to 'an evil spirit'.
'devil' changed from Old English 'deofol', which came via Latin 'diabolus' and Greek 'diabolos'; in Early Modern English the verb 'bedevil' was created by affixing 'be-' to 'devil', producing the modern English verb 'bedevil'.
Initially it could mean 'to make into a devil' or 'to afflict as if by a devil'; over time it evolved into the mainly figurative sense 'to torment, plague, trouble, or confuse'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
third-person singular present of 'bedevil': to torment, trouble, or harass persistently; to afflict with serious or continual problems.
A technical glitch bedevils the team every time they try to run the simulation.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 2
third-person singular present of 'bedevil': to baffle, perplex, or confuse (someone or something) by difficulties or complications.
One small inconsistency bedevils the entire proof and prevents it from being accepted.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/02 11:32