variants also dumfound

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb dumbfound differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dumbfound are bewilder, confound, distract, nonplus, perplex, and puzzle. While all these words mean "to baffle and disturb mentally," dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

In what contexts can bewilder take the place of dumbfound?

In some situations, the words bewilder and dumbfound are roughly equivalent. However, bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

When is it sensible to use confound instead of dumbfound?

While the synonyms confound and dumbfound are close in meaning, confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

When would distract be a good substitute for dumbfound?

The meanings of distract and dumbfound largely overlap; however, distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

When could nonplus be used to replace dumbfound?

The words nonplus and dumbfound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

Where would perplex be a reasonable alternative to dumbfound?

Although the words perplex and dumbfound have much in common, perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

When might puzzle be a better fit than dumbfound?

The synonyms puzzle and dumbfound are sometimes interchangeable, but puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

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 dumbfound Credit: Everett Collection Sox in Lightyear Sohn as Sox, the cat-like personal companion robot for Chris Evans' Buzz Lightyear, became the unexpected standout of this 2022 movie — which still dumbfounds Sohn a bit to this day. Nick Romano, EW.com, 16 June 2023 An American visionary, Anderson embraces his bourgeois adolescence with poetic accuracy: a boy floating forward to give help; a girl raising her hand to ask a question; a general revealing his ethnically specific history; everyone dumbfounded by an extraterrestrial’s appearance. Armond White, National Review, 16 June 2023 Photographs of Nahapetian at the film’s premiere dumbfounded a fair number of social media users, who had also mistaken the actor for a de-aged Phoenix after watching the trailer. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023 Witnesses told The Times that spectators were dumbfounded. Rachel Uranga, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for dumbfound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbfound
Verb
  • McLaren Racing Formula One driver Oscar Piastri was surprised by the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying result after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set a fastest time of 1:15.372, securing his first pole position of the season.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Trump once again surprised the world with fresh levies on dozens of countries.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Horner's sudden exit after a 20-year association with Red Bull shocked the F1 world.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
  • John Cena turning heel, meaning changing from a good to bad character, shocked the WWE Universe like nothing that had come before it and even reverberated throughout the sports and pop culture world at large.
    Skyler Trepel, People.com, 30 July 2025
Verb
  • Tetris pushes even supercomputers to their limits and amazes mathematicians See the world through the lens of science.
    Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 28 July 2025
  • Its steadfast dedication to its classic roots, combined with a fearless spirit of innovation, results in pieces that never fail to amaze.
    Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Morgan, who lives in Knoxville, Tenn., was astonished.
    Belinda Luscombe, Time, 24 July 2025
  • Volunteers were astonished by the language in some of the deeds.
    Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • Either way, you'll be astounded by just how light this laptop feels.
    Luke Larsen Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 1 Aug. 2025
  • You might be astounded by what waits for you on the other side of taking a leap of faith.
    Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 28 July 2025
Verb
  • He’s been flabbergasted by what’s happened since 2021.
    Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2025
  • But over the last month, since Los Angeles swung a midnight trade that flabbergasted the NBA, this clash has elevated from a one-off novelty to a plausible NBA Finals preview.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Modern Paris is an elegant monument to Haussmann’s profligacy; he was fired for spending stupefying sums of public money to force it up like winter tulips.
    Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
  • Investors are stupefied by a week of whipsawing markets, with little relief in sight.
    Jeffrey Marcus, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dumbfound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbfound. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

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