bemuse

verb

bi-ˈmyüz How to pronounce bemuse (audio)
Definition of bemusenext
1
as in to interest
to hold the attention of a public that seemed more bemused by the shenanigans of celebrities than by a war being waged half a world away

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the stage mishap momentarily bemused the actress

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bemuse Needless to say, Ben Shelton (who ended up winning the men’s event) and his opponent Karen Khachanov were bemused by the interruption. — Max Gao, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2025 Audiences bemused, delighted, hoodwinked theatrically, hoodwinked for real. — Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025 Cue a wave of gags in which Hank is bemused by everything from boba to hybrid-car engines to all-gender bathrooms. — Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025 Kylie — who was also in attendance at the taping, appeared utterly bemused by the life-sized re-creation of her children’s drawing. — Toria Sheffield, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bemuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemuse
  1. interest
  2. bewilder
  3. intrigue
  4. perplex
  5. fascinate
  6. confuse
  7. occupy
  8. baffle
Verb
  • With your background in documentaries, what interests you in that tension, particularly right now?
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Clearly there’s something about the relationship between audience and performer that interests you.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of interest
Verb
  • Many Eagles players were concerned and bewildered by the development.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewilder
Verb
  • Dumas was intrigued as Hermès was dealing with a generational crisis of how to evolve the company without losing its core customers.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
  • What intrigues you about taking this fish, who’s been out of water, and throwing him back into familiar waters?
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of intrigue
Verb
  • At Telluride, Fielder, who had initially planned to stay behind the scenes, admitted he was still perplexed by the couple’s openness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • They were perplexed at first, flummoxed, but pleasant, and unfortunately for them, already long gone from the airport.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of perplex
Verb
  • Amid all the con artists and fraudsters this century has produced, Holmes is the one who fascinates us the most.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • He’s always been obsessed with historic epochs like the Civil War and World War II and fascinated with the post-war boom and the sojourns of Route 66.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of fascinate
Verb
  • Bill Belichick has made a Hall of Fame career on confusing young quarterbacks.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Splitter praises his movement on and off the ball, which seems to visibly confuse opposing defenses.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of confuse
Verb
  • He had been courted by an investment group to helm a vast space on North Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood, previously occupied by a Spanish-leaning restaurant called Soulmate.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In June, Israel launched a preëmptive strike against Egypt, setting off the Six-Day War, and proceeded to occupy the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
    — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupy
Verb
  • On a lesser show, Lee would have thrown Dale a meaningful look, baffled that the material world was aligning with the woo-woo.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But Danny Niemela, a contractor at ArDan Construction, says that the process baffles him.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of baffle

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Cite this Entry

“Bemuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemuse. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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