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

Chelsea’s transfer activity, meanwhile, is bewildering many pundits and fans. —Matias Grez, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024

The automatic nature of these interactions—which seem to peak around 4 am every night—has left neighbors bewildered and sleep-deprived. —Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 13 Aug. 2024

Moore could only shake his head, bewildered watching the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry up close. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2024

The officers, bewildered after receiving the initial call for a water rescue, were looking at the scene millions would wake up to that morning — the main span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge had fallen into the Patapsco River. —Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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