bewilder

verb

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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

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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 Some may bewilder you, like the bag of fluffy bonito flakes. — BostonGlobe.com, 18 May 2021 Joll is introduced onscreen stepping out of his carriage with remarkably odd sunglasses, which immediately bewilder the Magistrate. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2020 High fashion, for most people, is a passing blur of bewildering, ever-shifting, sometimes ridiculous seasonal image statements. — Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 11 Feb. 2020 The message bewildered one of the bill’s sponsors, Asian Americans Advancing Justice. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, 16 Oct. 2019 Tourists and residents watched the confrontations, bewildered, as police urged them to clear the streets. — Austin Ramzy, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2019 Andrew Unterberger: Still sorta bewildered, but not mad. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, 23 July 2019 That’s left independent business owners bewildered, disappointed and angry. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2020 Many Germans are bewildered by their former royal family’s demands. — David Motadel, The New York Review of Books, 26 Feb. 2020

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.