English Dictionary

BEDEVIL (bedevilled, bedevilling)

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

Irregular inflected forms: bedevilled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation, bedevilling  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bedevil mean? 

BEDEVIL (verb)
  The verb BEDEVIL has 2 senses:

1. treat cruellyplay

2. be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearlyplay

  Familiarity information: BEDEVIL used as a verb is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


BEDEVIL (verb)

 Conjugation: 
Present simple: I / you / we / they bedevil  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it bedevils  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past simple: bedeviled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation / bedevilled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past participle: bedeviled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation / bedevilled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
-ing form: bedeviling  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation / bedevilling  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Treat cruelly

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

bedevil; crucify; dun; frustrate; rag; torment

Context example:

The children tormented the stuttering teacher

Hypernyms (to "bedevil" is one way to...):

beset; chevvy; chevy; chivvy; chivy; harass; harry; hassle; molest; plague; provoke (annoy continually or chronically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bedevil"):

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)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

bedevilment (the act of harassing someone)


Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

bedevil; befuddle; confound; confuse; discombobulate; fox; fuddle; throw

Context example:

This question befuddled even the teacher

Hypernyms (to "bedevil" is one way to...):

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

Verb group:

confuse; disconcert; flurry; put off (cause to feel embarrassment)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bedevil"):

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)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to bedevil Sue


 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Treat them mean, keep them keen." (English proverb)

"As you sow, so shall you reap." (Bulgarian proverb)

"What is the connection with Alexander's moustache?" (Armenian proverb)

"One who scorns is one who buys." (Corsican proverb)



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