Bedevil

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bedevil \Be*dev"il\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bedevilled} (?); 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.
        [1913 Webster]


  
              Bedeviled and used worse than St. Bartholomew.
                                                    --Sterne.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To spoil; to corrupt. --Wright.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bedevil
       v 1: treat cruelly; "The children tormented the stuttering
            teacher" [syn: {torment}, {rag}, {crucify}, {dun}, {frustrate}]
       2: be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think
          clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This
          question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled
          even the teacher" [syn: {confuse}, {throw}, {fox}, {befuddle},
           {fuddle}, {confound}, {discombobulate}]
       [also: {bedevilling}, {bedevilled}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  67 Moby Thesaurus words for "bedevil":
     aggravate, annoy, badger, bait, be at, beset, bewitch, bother,
     bristle, brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn up, chivy, demonize, devil,
     devilize, diabolize, discompose, distemper, disturb, dog,
     exasperate, exercise, fash, get, gripe, harass, harry, heckle,
     hector, hex, hoodoo, hound, irk, jinx, miff, molest, nag, needle,
     nettle, nudzh, obsess, overlook, peeve, persecute, pester, pick on,
     pique, plague, pluck the beard, possess, pother, provoke, ride,
     rile, roil, ruffle, tantalize, tease, torment, try the patience,
     tweak the nose, vex, voodoo, witch, worry