bemused

adjective

be·​mused bi-ˈmyüzd 

bē-

1

: marked by confusion or bewilderment : dazed

… he was fumbling with the sheets, and looking down at them with a slightly bemused expression as though the stuff before him was in a foreign language …

—Robert Penn Warren

2

: lost in thought or reverie

… as distant and bemused as a Professor Emeritus listening to the prattling of his freshman class.

—Michael Straight

3

: having or showing feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing

This is not another of those now popular books about a bemused outsider's sojourn in rural France, brimming with colorful locals and heart-warming anecdotes.

—J. D. McClatchy

bemusedly

bi-ˈmyü-zəd-lē 

bē-

adverb

Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose.

—J. K. Rowling

Synonyms

• addle
• addled
• addlepated
• bedeviled
• befogged
• befuddled
• bewildered
• bushed [chiefly Australian]
• confounded
• confused
• dazed
• distracted
• dizzy
• dopey
• dopy
• fogged
• mixed-up
• muddleheaded
• muzzy
• pixilated
• pixillated
• punch-drunk
• punchy
• raddled
• shell-shocked
• silly
• slaphappy
• spaced-out
• spaced
• spacey
• spacy
• stunned
• stupefied
• zonked
• zonked-out

Examples of bemused in a Sentence

new federal regulations that the easily bemused should make no attempt to read and understand

Recent Examples on the Web

Not a problem for DeChambeau, who took matters into his own hands by hoisting the post up over his shoulder – much to the bemused delight of onlooking patrons – clearing the path for his successful escape and an eventual birdie. —Jack Bantock, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024

Ten days ago, Southern Californians stared bemused at the streak of light above Los Angeles at sunset. —Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined at sense 1