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
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Recent Examples of bemuse
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
The solemn participation of five presidents, current and former, at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral Thursday might well have bemused, well, Jimmy Carter.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Fans were also asked about having heated seats, eating sushi and drinking prosecco, which bemused many.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bemuse
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
The solemn participation of five presidents, current and former, at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral Thursday might well have bemused, well, Jimmy Carter.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Fans were also asked about having heated seats, eating sushi and drinking prosecco, which bemused many.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bemuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemuse
Verb
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The fact that both CBS News and CNN will be under the new corporate roof, however, makes the involvement of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf interests a sensitive point.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
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There’s something easy about sweet that doesn’t interest me.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gasly seems faintly bewildered by the designation.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
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Netizens were bewildered by the latest pivot, resulting in plenty of mockery on social media.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He was intrigued by Caglianone’s approach throughout Saturday’s victory.—
Jaylon Thompson
May 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
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That includes physicists at the University of Manchester, who were intrigued by the difference between crushing an empty soda can versus one that is full of liquid.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Verb
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As Season 3 of Euphoria continues to stir up some controversy, one of the show’s stars is perplexed by Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) OnlyFans storyline.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
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Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Precious artifacts have been recently unearthed from the site that fascinates scholars worldwide.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
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We were fascinated by a broader trend — covered locally by the Chicago Sun-Times and nationally by outlets including CNBC and The New York Times — of people turning the humble 1040 into a form of civil disobedience.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But when an audition for the sixth film came through, he was initially confused by the prospect of rejoining a franchise in which his character had already died.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
2 May 2026
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The Pace exhibition also included photographs of unidentified objects orbiting Earth and kite-like sculptures resembling military satellites designed to confuse enemy radars.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Nonetheless, Israel has continued to strike deep within Lebanon, and its army occupies much of the country’s south.—
Sarah Tamimi,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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More commonly, prescribed burning is halted because Forest Service staff are occupied fighting wildfires.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
4 May 2026
Verb
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His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
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During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bemuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemuse. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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