bewilder

verb

be·​wil·​der bi-ˈwil-dər How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
bē-
bewildered; bewildering bi-ˈwil-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
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
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 This editorial is an example of why local newspapers play an important role in our lives of bewildering messages from chaotic media. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024 But both the music video and her response to it were bewildering. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024 There is a frequent invocation of the Jews by right-wing Asian commentators, with conservatives from both groups bewildered by the liberal tendencies of their demographic as a whole. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024 But Gutierrez agreed with the NFL that the jurors were bewildered and misled during the trial. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bewilder 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bewilder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bewilder was in 1633

Dictionary Entries Near bewilder

Cite this Entry

“Bewilder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bewilder. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bewilder

verb
be·​wil·​der bi-ˈwil-dər How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
bewildered; bewildering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
: to confuse especially with a great many things to worry about
bewilderingly adverb
bewilderment
-dər-mənt
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bewilder

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!