bedevil
Persistently harass someone
To bedevil is to torment, harass, or cause persistent trouble.
Problems bedevil a project; doubts bedevil a decision-maker.
The word suggests something that plagues or vexes repeatedly rather than striking once: The production was bedeviled by technical failures.
The devil in the word evokes mischievous torment—annoying rather than destroying.
Deadly epidemic disease
- harassPersistently torment someone
- persecuteHarass cruelly, persistently
- afflictCause persistent distress
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
anguish · suffering · agony · misery · distress · persecution · oppression · victimization
To own or hold
- demonsMalevolent supernatural beings
- evil spiritsMalevolent supernatural beings
- hexMalevolent incantation
- curseInvoked harm through words
jinx · vex · exorcism · supernatural · malevolent · fiendish · infernal · satanic
Cause utter confusion
- baffleConfuse or perplex
- bewilderCause utter confusion
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- mystifyConfuse beyond understanding
confound · flummox · stump · befuddle · muddle · disorient · discombobulate · nonplus
plague
Deadly epidemic disease
- harassPersistently torment someone
- persecuteHarass cruelly, persistently
- afflictCause persistent distress
torture · anguish · suffering · agony · misery · distress · persecution · oppression · victimization · scourge
possess
To own or hold
- demonsMalevolent supernatural beings
- evil spiritsMalevolent supernatural beings
- hexMalevolent incantation
curse · jinx · vex · exorcism · supernatural · malevolent · fiendish · infernal · satanic · accursed
perplex
Cause utter confusion
mystify · confound · flummox · stump · befuddle · muddle · disorient · discombobulate · nonplus · addle
entangle
Twist into confusion
hamper · hinder · impede · obstruct · frustrate · stymie · foil · derail · sabotage · undermine
chronic
Persisting over time
- relentlessContinuing without pause
- unrelentingRefusing to let up
- incessantNever pausing or stopping
constant · perpetual · dogged · unabating · recurring · nagging · unceasing · continual · ongoing · interminable
bedeviled, bedevils, bedeviling, bedevilled, bedevilment, bedevilling