bemusement

noun

Definition of bemusementnext
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty an expression of utter bemusement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 bemusement Skipping inside, Nora joins a cadre of shambling interns whom the editorial staff regard with a mixture of bemusement and disdain. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026 Erika looks on with the malevolent bemusement of a college cheerleader coming back to homecoming to judge her old high school squad. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026 Just across the street from the Golf Course Terrace home, a few Bermuda grass lawns had actual weeds sprouting up — a source of bemusement for the homeowner. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026 But there was a kind of bemusement with our fascination with the Wild West and our fixation on cowboys, and a sense that America has gone off the rails. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 While not a good show by any stretch of the imagination — and there are many stretches to be made here — the Netflix series does manage to conjure so-bad-its-good bemusement. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 June 2026 The Professional can certainly be understood as a nonlinear narrative of an artist on the peripheries of music, navigating a world far from home with equal parts amusement and bemusement. — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026 To friends and strangers alike, our unusual authorly posture—two spouses, both with academic backgrounds but neither presently working in academia, teaming up to write a trade book on a literary subject—is a source of bemusement. — Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 Originally greeted with bemusement, Pratt is now upending the race with early voting underway ahead of the June 2 election. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemusement
  1. confusion
  2. fog
  3. bewilderment
  4. bafflement
Noun
  • Adding to the confusion, a young female pilot has since been reported to have perished in the crash.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Mantovani, a Miami Beach resident who immigrated to the United States from Argentina as a child, said confusion about the electoral system and doubts about the impact of a single vote kept him from participating in previous elections.
    — Sabrina Lozano, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of confusion
Noun
  • The morning fog had lifted as Bates trails one of his delivery trucks and its driver, Lee Wood.
    — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Oyamel firs thrive in cool, moist, mountainous environments, usually between 1,200 and 4,100 meters (3,940–13,450 feet) above sea level, where fog and precipitation are common.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fog
Noun
  • Religion, fear, prejudice, affection, money, family history, and bewilderment can crowd the same room.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There are four of us on staff at The Verge actively testing Googlebooks and, frankly, our internal Slack discussions have been mostly filled with collective venting of frustrations, disappointments, and bewilderment.
    — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bewilderment
Noun
  • The day Childress finally mustered the courage to ask his superiors how to quit, he was met with bafflement.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Opening in limited release on October 15, critics are more or less united in their awe, amusement, and sheer bafflement at what Fielder and Oppenheim were able to capture.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bafflement

Browse Nearby Words

bemused
bemusement
bemusements
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Cite this Entry

“Bemusement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemusement. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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