BENUMB Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

benumb

verb

bi-ˈnəm

Definition of benumb

as in to reduce

to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling a succession of personal tragedies had benumbed him to all grief

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of benumb What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019 But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile. — George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for benumb

Verb

Because the coating is already on the coil, manufacturers may be able to reduce reliance on external lubrication and additional e-coating processes.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
The goal, advocates say, was to get individuals struggling with addiction treatment while reducing overcrowding inside state prisons.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

Over time, that buildup can actually dull the finish and make the whole room feel less clean, even if everything else is spotless.

— Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
Severe neuropathy can dull the sensation of excessive pressure, raising injury risk, and advanced lymphedema with hardened swelling calls for medical advice first.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of dull

Verb

Who would’ve thought, for example, that Wallace was constantly hiding behind the lens of his trusty camera as a way to numb himself to the horrors of the world?

— Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of numb

Verb

Employees need clarity on how new skills connect to opportunities and confidence that AI will enhance, not diminish, their value in the organization.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
If the senator’s moralism has been unfettered by his stroke, with a shift toward right-brain moralistic processing, that does not diminish his sincere intent or its effect.

— Michael P.H. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of diminish

Verb

People familiar with the deliberations said lawmakers worried the requirements would raise drug prices and weaken national security by revealing the precise locations where lifesaving medications are made.

— Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026
Macron warned that the attacks would not go unanswered and accused Moscow of trying to intimidate Europeans into weakening their support for Ukraine.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Too much intention, too much Trying to Say, too much overarching metaphor, can deaden your work.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of deaden

Verb

The heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas has subsided since a ceasefire last October, but Israeli fire has killed more than 1,360 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health officials in the territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
While the heaviest fighting in Gaza has subsided since the fragile ceasefire took hold in October, Israel has continued to carry out strikes in the territory, including some overnight and into Tuesday that killed several people.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of subside

Browse Nearby Words

bents

benumb

benumbed

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“Benumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumb. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of benumb

verb

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