as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a succession of personal tragedies had benumbed him to all grief
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Recent Examples of benumb
Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benumb
Verb
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Over the past year, the co-CEOs have executed a plan to shave off $500 million in costs, sell off assets and reduce a workforce by more than 15 percent as Paramount shifts ownership.—
Erik Hayden,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
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Those fine particles can stick together tightly, reducing pore space for water to move through or percolate.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Still, that venue-filling sound doesn’t dull the music’s bleeding edge.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
12 Aug. 2025
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While short-term boosts are possible, too much artificial stimulation can dull the natural response over time.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The spread of open-source blunts monopolistic tendencies and democratizes innovation, a major check against doomer fears.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
11 Aug. 2025
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State Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, agrees with Ritter that the spending cap can’t be an obstacle to Connecticut tapping its flush coffers to blunt the pain of federal cuts.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The procedure is quick and happens in the eye doctor’s office; typically, a patient’s eyes are numbed before the plug is inserted.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
21 July 2025
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Mild ulcers can be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) numbing creams that help relieve pain and promote healing.—
Carley Millhone,
Health,
6 July 2025
Verb
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Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Aug. 2025
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Rather than diminishing us, this should decentralize our ego.—
Dax Grant,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For Trump, whose political brand has long relied on projecting authenticity to his base, a sustained decline in honesty ratings could weaken his ability to roll out his agenda.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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But Goolsbee said Trump’s immigration crackdown likely has affected population growth and the jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean the labor market has substantially weakened.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Repeatedly returning to themes of globalization and alienation, the 55-year-old director has meticulously chronicled his country’s uneasy plunge into the 21st century as rampant industrialization risks deadening those left behind.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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By Richard Assheton Read On Little Britain The Breakfast Clubs America’s morning television brightens the day but deadens the soul.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The furor has subsided, possibly because districts are adapting to such stringent state laws as House Bill 1467, which required districts to create a public, searchable online list of elementary school materials.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Aug. 2025
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Stewart was celebrated as a hero — and interviewed by the likes of CNN and the BBC — before interest in the story initially subsided.—
Susan Young,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Benumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumb. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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