bewilder

verb

be·wil·der | \ bi-ˈwil-dər

, bē-\

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

, bē- \

Definition of bewilder

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

Other Words from bewilder Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about bewilder

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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

For more than a week after the cyclone, a 7-year-old girl waited with her older sister at the school, injured and bewildered by her mother’s absence. — Cara Anna, The Seattle Times, "‘It will get worse’: Perilous times for kids hit by cyclone," 26 Mar. 2019 Business leaders are often bewildered by the rapidly changing global security situation. — Elisabeth Braw, WSJ, "Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Military-Industrial Complex," 2 Jan. 2019 We are bewildered why certain groups take offense at two people who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together. — Morgan Greene, chicagotribune.com, "Rauner officiates gay wedding, social conservatives object," 12 July 2018 Today, spending a night at the castle remains an all-consuming, often bewildering theatrical experience. — Tony Perrottet, WSJ, "A Secret Passageway Into the World’s Most Exclusive Magic Club," 19 Dec. 2018 In May 2018, Raden completely shuttered, leaving customers bewildered: How did such a promising startup, one that wanted to make the best suitcase, boom and bust in no time at all? — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "When the “best” busts: the spectacular rise and fall of smart luggage startup Raden," 12 Dec. 2018 Studying evolving weather systems on planets 2.7 billion and 1.6 billion miles away (respectively, at their closest) is bewildering to say the least. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Hubble Observes Ice Giant Vortexes and Polar Storms on Neptune and Uranus," 9 Feb. 2019 These people arrive on the show like aliens, looking somewhat bewildered by the format. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "Behold: The Bachelor Unicorns — The Perfect Contestants Who Came & Went," 9 July 2018 Still evidently bewildered by his own success, the architect is hardly less determined to capitalize on it than his energetic partner. — Ian Volner, WSJ, "Swiss Architecture Firm Herzog & De Meuron Celebrates 40 Years," 4 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bewilder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.