as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
an expression of utter bemusement
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Recent Examples of bemusement
But Lee is the kind of crusader who inspires more bemusement than admiration from those around him.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Hanks plays it with just the right amount of bemusement.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Apatow tells the story of walking into Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment circa 1983 and seeing the bemusement on Seinfeld’s face.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
Earlier, the president reacted with a degree of bemusement.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
The ball caromed to the backstop and Andy Pages scored as Pedro Pages looked around in bemusement.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2025
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Hanks plays it with just the right amount of bemusement.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Apatow tells the story of walking into Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment circa 1983 and seeing the bemusement on Seinfeld’s face.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
Earlier, the president reacted with a degree of bemusement.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
The ball caromed to the backstop and Andy Pages scored as Pedro Pages looked around in bemusement.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemusement
Noun
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The very concept of combining social media with AI assistants caused confusion earlier this year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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That confusion is further reflected by the manic hyper-subjectivity of Bronstein’s filmmaking, which boxes Linda into a close-up so tight that everything around her — especially her unnamed daughter, who almost never appears on screen — might as well be a disembodied echo of her own anxiety.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Defense Secretary, meanwhile, vanishes into a personal fog, thinking only of his daughter (Kaitlyn Dever), who lives in Chicago.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Particularly in the case of the latter two galaxies, the radio jets seem to be interacting with the intra-cluster medium, which is a thick fog of hot plasma that fills galaxy clusters, and this interaction is shaping both the jets and the radio rings.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a marked contrast to the undisguised anger, bitter satire, and clear-eyed analysis of his colleagues, bewilderment became the theme of his monologue.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
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Other residents in the neighborhood have expressed their bewilderment over the incident.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There are black-and-white scenes from what appears to be a cracked Biblical drama featuring a levitating monk and, to the particular bafflement of the producer, a dancing Pulcinella.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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If the book’s prismatic structure and subjective immediacy feel baffling to encounter, that is because bafflement is the point.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bemusement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemusement. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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