1
: unable to feel anything in a particular part of your body especially as a result of cold or anesthesia
It was so cold that my fingers went numb.
2
: unable to think, feel, or react normally because of something that shocks or upsets you : indifferent
He stood there numb with fear.
numbness
noun
numbed; numbing
: to make (someone or something) numb: such as
a
: to cause (a part of the body) to lose sensation
hands numbed by the cold
The injection will numb the area to be operated on.
b
: to impair in force or sensation : deaden
trying to numb the pain
c
: to make (someone) unable to think, feel, or react normally
But there is no humor in Natural Born Killers. It is a relentlessly bloody story designed to shock us and to numb us further to the senselessness of reckless murder.—
Michael Shnayerson
Michael ShnayersonIn her last book, Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag disputes the notion that viewers are numbed by an onslaught of photographed calamities.—Dennis Lim
Dennis LimBut Madame Melmotte was neither crushed by grief nor did she affect to be so crushed. She had been numbed by the suddenness and by the awe of the catastrophe.—Anthony Trolloppe
Anthony Trolloppe
Synonyms
Examples of numb in a Sentence
Adjective
The side of my face was still numb an hour after the surgery.
I had a numb feeling in my toes.
It was so cold that my fingers went numb.
A stroke can cause one side of your body to go numb.
Her son had died and she just felt numb.
He stood there numb with fear.
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Recent Examples on the WebDr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
Family bonds can be broken or whole, visible or hidden, forgotten or rediscovered, numb or forever raw.
—Elena Lappin, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
This cuts off its blood supply, which in turn makes your pinky and ring fingers feel tingly and numb.
—Amber Brenza, SELF, 8 Sep. 2023
Discussing the ex-president’s lengthening criminal docket, Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming told the Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic that people have grown numb to Trump indictments.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The room was freezing, and the tips of my fingers had wrinkled and gone numb.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 July 2023
In the car after my friend picked me up from the airport, my tongue and the left side of my face became numb, and my left arm felt weak.
—Sunny Fitzgerald, SELF, 22 Aug. 2023
That discomfort is extra miserable when accompanied by a sharp, electrical pain or even a numb sensation running all the way down your leg into your foot.
—Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 16 Aug. 2023
Perhaps this is because weeks of unrelenting brutal heat and other astonishing extreme weather events have left even journalists and editors numb.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2023
Most began that journey in a static state of victimhood, emotionally numbed and incapacitated by wounds psychic or physical or both.
—Diane Cole, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
Most practitioners will slather on numbing cream 15 to 20 minutes before of the injections.
—Lisa Desantis, Glamour, 21 Aug. 2023
Stellate or phrenic nerve blocks: These injections use medications that numb the target nerve.
—Jessica Migala, Health, 6 Aug. 2023
In contrast, a healthcare provider will numb the perineum to make a cut if needed.2
Here's what happens during an episiotomy:2
Incision: There are two types of cuts—a median or mediolateral incision.
—Korin Miller, Health, 15 Sep. 2023
That blinding illumination can bring on a numbing sense of malaise, and even derail your day.
—WSJ, 14 Sep. 2023
The law aims to incentivize outpatient surgical centers to use pain relief methods like nerve blocks and long-acting numbing medications.
—Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023
Depending on where the beans are harvested, vanilla may taste dark-sweet, of smoke and cherries; or earthy as chocolate and coffee; or buttery, or caramelly or plummy; or stung by the faintest numbing hint of anise.
—Ligaya Mishan Melody Melamed, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2023
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Adjective
My feet are now mostly numb, and the heel of my right foot is causing more problems while walking.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
Family bonds can be broken or whole, visible or hidden, forgotten or rediscovered, numb or forever raw.
—Elena Lappin, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
This cuts off its blood supply, which in turn makes your pinky and ring fingers feel tingly and numb.
—Amber Brenza, SELF, 8 Sep. 2023
Discussing the ex-president’s lengthening criminal docket, Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming told the Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic that people have grown numb to Trump indictments.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The room was freezing, and the tips of my fingers had wrinkled and gone numb.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 July 2023
In the car after my friend picked me up from the airport, my tongue and the left side of my face became numb, and my left arm felt weak.
—Sunny Fitzgerald, SELF, 22 Aug. 2023
That discomfort is extra miserable when accompanied by a sharp, electrical pain or even a numb sensation running all the way down your leg into your foot.
—Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 16 Aug. 2023
Perhaps this is because weeks of unrelenting brutal heat and other astonishing extreme weather events have left even journalists and editors numb.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023
Verb
But movies are an art in themselves, and, when performances are filmed without an aesthetic, the result is numbing, as the up-and-down fortunes of early movie musicals reflect.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2023
Most began that journey in a static state of victimhood, emotionally numbed and incapacitated by wounds psychic or physical or both.
—Diane Cole, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
Most practitioners will slather on numbing cream 15 to 20 minutes before of the injections.
—Lisa Desantis, Glamour, 21 Aug. 2023
Stellate or phrenic nerve blocks: These injections use medications that numb the target nerve.
—Jessica Migala, Health, 6 Aug. 2023
In contrast, a healthcare provider will numb the perineum to make a cut if needed.2
Here's what happens during an episiotomy:2
Incision: There are two types of cuts—a median or mediolateral incision.
—Korin Miller, Health, 15 Sep. 2023
That blinding illumination can bring on a numbing sense of malaise, and even derail your day.
—WSJ, 14 Sep. 2023
The law aims to incentivize outpatient surgical centers to use pain relief methods like nerve blocks and long-acting numbing medications.
—Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023
Depending on where the beans are harvested, vanilla may taste dark-sweet, of smoke and cherries; or earthy as chocolate and coffee; or buttery, or caramelly or plummy; or stung by the faintest numbing hint of anise.
—Ligaya Mishan Melody Melamed, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'numb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English nomme, nomyn "unable to move, paralyzed," literally "taken (by sickness, cold, paralysis, etc.)," from past participle of nimen "to take" — more at nimble
Verb
derivative of numb entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1561, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of numb was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near numb
Cite this Entry
“Numb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numb. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
numb
1 of 2 adjectiveˈnəm
1
: lacking in sensation especially from cold or from an anesthetic
2
: lacking in emotion : indifferent
numbly
adverb
numbness
noun
numb
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become numb
Medical Definition
numb
adjective
: devoid of sensation (as from the administration of anesthesia or exposure to cold)
numb
transitive verb
Arm or leg surgery, even total hip replacements, now can be performed with regional anesthesia, which numbs only the area being operated upon.
—Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal
Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal
More from Merriam-Webster on numb
Nglish: Translation of numb for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of numb for Arabic Speakers
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