bewilderment
noun
be·wil·der·ment
bi-ˈwil-dər-mənt 
bē-
1
: the quality or state of being lost, perplexed, or confused : the quality or state of being bewildered
She stared at them in bewilderment.
2
: a complicated or confusing state or condition : a bewildering tangle or confusion
a bewilderment of streets
Synonyms
Examples of bewilderment in a Sentence
the slightest change in her daily routine leaves her in complete bewilderment
Recent Examples on the Web
While world leaders have expressed shock and bewilderment over Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s decision to raid Mexico’s embassy April 5, the extraordinarily unusual move – and Mr. Noboa’s relative silence about it – is unlikely to hurt him with his constituents.
—
Regina Garcia Cano and Gabriela Molina, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
Throughout the ancient world, before the mechanics of eclipses were understood, people reacted with shock and bewilderment as the sun disappeared during a solar eclipse.
—Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
In talking to my fellow third-grade mom friends, their frustration and bewilderment match mine.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
But Carlson, with an air of blissful ignorance, could only sit back and listen, as if induced to a state of bewilderment by Putin’s genius.
—John Hewko, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
At Republic Day balls organized across small Anatolian towns only years after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the loss of its European provinces, Kemalist bureaucrats would dance to European tunes played by jazz bands, to the bewilderment of the attending Anatolian peasants.
—Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024
Confusion Over Competing Contests When primary ballots absent Trump’s name began hitting mailboxes, Republicans across the state reacted with angry bewilderment.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2024
Reaction to this scene in online fan communities has been one of great bewilderment.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
As a result, when Liverpool’s then-English record bid for Moises Caicedo, around €130 million ($141 million), failed to bring the Ecuadorian to Anfield, there was a sense of bewilderment when the more senior Endō, costing roughly €20 million ($21 million), arrived in his place.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Regina Garcia Cano and Gabriela Molina, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
Throughout the ancient world, before the mechanics of eclipses were understood, people reacted with shock and bewilderment as the sun disappeared during a solar eclipse.
—Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
In talking to my fellow third-grade mom friends, their frustration and bewilderment match mine.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
But Carlson, with an air of blissful ignorance, could only sit back and listen, as if induced to a state of bewilderment by Putin’s genius.
—John Hewko, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
At Republic Day balls organized across small Anatolian towns only years after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the loss of its European provinces, Kemalist bureaucrats would dance to European tunes played by jazz bands, to the bewilderment of the attending Anatolian peasants.
—Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024
Confusion Over Competing Contests When primary ballots absent Trump’s name began hitting mailboxes, Republicans across the state reacted with angry bewilderment.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2024
Reaction to this scene in online fan communities has been one of great bewilderment.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
As a result, when Liverpool’s then-English record bid for Moises Caicedo, around €130 million ($141 million), failed to bring the Ecuadorian to Anfield, there was a sense of bewilderment when the more senior Endō, costing roughly €20 million ($21 million), arrived in his place.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bewilderment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bewilderment
Cite this Entry
“Bewilderment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bewilderment. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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