bedevil

verb (used with object), be·dev·iled, be·dev·il·ing or (especially British) be·dev·illed, be·dev·il·ling.

1. to torment or harass maliciously or diabolically, as with doubts, distractions, or worries.
2. to possess, as with a devil; bewitch.
3. to cause confusion or doubt in; muddle; confound: an issue bedeviled by prejudices.
4. to beset or hamper continuously: a new building bedeviled by elevator failures.

verb -ils, -illing or -illed or US -ils, -iling or -iled (tr)

1. to harass or torment
2. to throw into confusion
3. to possess, as with a devil

v.

1768, “to treat diabolically, abuse,” from be- + verbal use of devil (q.v.). Meaning “to mischievously confuse” is from 1755; that of “to drive frantic” is from 1823. Related: Bedeviled (1570s, in a literal sense, “possessed”); bedeviling.