What does bedazzle mean?
Bedazzle is a verb with two main uses. Its older and still common figurative sense means to impress or overwhelm someone with brilliance, beauty, or skill, often so thoroughly that the person is momentarily dazzled or disarmed — a speaker might bedazzle an audience with wit or eloquence. Its more recent, concrete sense means to cover or decorate something with sparkling ornaments such as sequins, rhinestones, or jewels, a usage especially popular in fashion and craft contexts since the twentieth century. Formed by adding the intensive prefix be- to dazzle, the word carries connotations of showiness and spectacle, sometimes with a hint of excess or kitsch when applied to heavily embellished clothing. Both British and American English use it freely, and its playful sound makes it a lively alternative to plainer verbs like impress or decorate.
verbTo greatly impress or delight someone, often to the point of confusion; also to decorate or cover something with sparkling ornaments such as sequins or rhinestones.
- To impress or overwhelm someone with brilliance or splendor (often figurative).
- To decorate something liberally with sparkling adornments (sequins, rhinestones).
"The singer bedazzled the audience with her dazzling stage presence."
"The magician's sleight of hand bedazzled the crowd."
"She bedazzled her denim jacket with hundreds of tiny crystals."
Bedazzle once meant to confuse or bewilder — it only picked up its glittery craft-store sense in the 20th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bedazzle
Bedazzle was formed in English in the early seventeenth century from the prefix be-, used here as an intensifier, combined with dazzle, a frequentative verb related to daze. The original meaning centered on overwhelming the eyes or mind — dazzling to the point of bewilderment. The later decorative sense, referring to covering things with glittering ornamentation, developed much more recently, becoming widespread in American English during the twentieth century. It shares its root with dazzle, daze, and dizzy.
Related word forms
How bedazzle is actually used
Both transitive senses are informal-to-neutral in register. The 'decorate' sense is strongly associated with fashion and crafts, especially from the late 20th century onward.
Easily confused with bedazzle
Dazzle means to blind temporarily with bright light or to amaze generally; bedazzle adds the intensifying prefix be-, often implying overwhelming or decorating with sparkles.