Definition of BEWILDER

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 But the hazard tests never examined specific failure modes that could cause MCAS to kick on—including failure of a key sensor that tripped multiple cockpit warnings and bewildered pilots on the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights. — Julie Johnsson, Fortune, "Boeing’s Grounded 737 Max Will Soon Return to Service, CEO Says," 30 Sep. 2019 The more than a decade and a half that’s passed since a men’s player won a grand slam event bewilders. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Jimmy Connors, group begin quest for next U.S. men’s tennis champ in Carlsbad," 19 Sep. 2019 One of Boeing’s bewildering failures in the MCAS design is that despite the existence of two independent angle-of-attack sensors, the system did not require agreement between them to conclude that a stall had occurred. — New York Times, "What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max?," 18 Sep. 2019 This is not an article about the Times’s bewildering editorial decisions. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Kavanaugh Fight Left Wounds That Will Never Heal," 18 Sep. 2019 The opening scenes of Share, HBO's digital-age drama that airs July 27, are bewildering. — Elizabeth Kiefer, Glamour, "HBO’s Share Addresses Sexual Assault Unlike Any Movie You’ve Ever Seen," 26 July 2019 Which is why, to those who grew up on the local institution, these can feel like bewildering times, Esther Mobley writes. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: Bay Area is plugging it in," 17 June 2019 Tyson, once obsessed with being heavyweight champion, looked at Fury, bewildered. — Chris Mannix, SI.com, "You Can't Keep Tyson Fury Down—Unless You’re Tyson Fury," 13 Sep. 2019 The protests have an intensity and dynamic that bewilders the protesters’ opponents in Beijing and in Hong Kong’s Beijing-obedient city administration. — George Will, National Review, "Hong Kong’s Summer of Heroic Dissent," 12 Sep. 2019

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.