variants
or devilling
as in tormenting
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deviling
Verb
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With the help of journalist Gerrick Kennedy, the memoir details Brandy's meteoric rise to fame as a young teen while volleying ambition, exhaustion and self-doubt, moving through a predatory and tormenting industry and being misunderstood in the public eye.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026 -
In another, more recent case, three Wyoming men were charged with tormenting a moose by trying to ride it.—
Wendy Keefover,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But so often left unsaid by Gu are the moral ambiguities that come with choosing to represent a country that has been heavily criticized by Human Rights Watch, among other watchdog groups, for denying rights of freedom of expression and for persecuting government critics.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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The term refers to biblical passages in which Jesus described Jews in specific communities who were persecuting the early Christians.—
Jennifer Berry Hawes,
ProPublica,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Things are kept mostly under wraps in this trailer, which spotlights the family vibe and the gnawing concern that something isn’t right, alongside jarring footage of a suburban street torn asunder.—
William Earl,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
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To distract you from gnawing your nails in anticipation, here are two books to add to your pile.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But they haven’t been observed directly helping with the long security lines bedeviling passengers and their Department of Homeland Security colleagues in the Transportation Security Administration.—
Emma Hurt,
AJC.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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In a joint interview with the Chronicle, Uzelac and Executive Director Jennifer Delacroix blamed the cancellation on factors bedeviling many performing arts companies struggling to recover from the pandemic.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With this police run-in, Country Joe and the Fish received a slew of press, riling up the public ahead of their Woodstock performance.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Despite losing to Georgia in the conference championship game, DeBoer's Crimson Tide earned one of this year's 12 CFP spots, potentially riling up coaches and fans from other programs who felt their teams got snubbed.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Offshore Data Centers Face Challenges Aikido’s plan avoids the prickly not-in-my-backyard complaints that are dogging both onshore wind and data-center projects.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Mar. 2026
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Stocks had a rough session Friday on the worries about AI hurting the economy that have been dogging the market for weeks.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The judging is vexing and perplexing.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2026
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This one is vexing, as it's gone from AI early mover, thanks to its prescient partnership with OpenAI, to a laggard.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Johnson recalled how in 2024 Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed undocumented people to work at public universities, rankling activists.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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But when Russia invaded Ukraine, South Africa repeatedly abstained from United Nations votes on the war—rankling officials in Washington.—
Richard Fontaine,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Deviling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviling. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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