bewilder

verb

be·​wil·​der bi-ˈwil-dər 

bē-

bewildered; bewildering bi-ˈwil-d(ə-)riŋ 

bē-

transitive verb

1

: to cause to lose one's bearings (see bearing sense 6c)

bewildered by the city's maze of roads

2

: to perplex or confuse especially by a complexity, variety, or multitude of objects or considerations

His decision bewildered her.

utterly bewildered by the instructions

bewilderedly adverb

bewilderedness noun

Synonyms

• addle
• baffle
• bamboozle
• beat
• befog
• befuddle
• bemuse
• buffalo
• confound
• confuse
• discombobulate
• disorient
• flummox
• fox
• fuddle
• get
• gravel
• maze
• muddle
• muddy
• mystify
• perplex
• pose
• puzzle
• vex

Choose the Right Synonym for bewilder

puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally.

puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

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

Examples of bewilder in a Sentence

the change in policy seems to have bewildered many of our customers

Recent Examples on the Web

These reactions are just the tip of the iceberg, as the football world continues to be bewildered at Sanders being available heading into the fourth round on Saturday. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025

Across the street, her husband Steve, who nursed Molly through her first fight with breast cancer a few years earlier, sits bewildered in the office of their couples therapist. —Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2025

Carlie thinks the whole thing is hilarious, and Chelsea remains bewildered by any King Cake Baby obsession. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025

That’s all bewildering plot-wise, but Morrison also bewilders readers through language. —The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bewilder

• shipbuilder
• builder
• gilder
• guilder

Kids Definition

bewilder

verb

be·​wil·​der bi-ˈwil-dər 

bewildered; bewildering -d(ə-)riŋ 

: to confuse especially with a great many things to worry about

bewilderingly

-d(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb

bewilderment

-dər-mənt

noun