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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Made with prebiotic oat to soothe irritation and support the skin barrier, the gentle cream also has feverfew extract, which is packed with antioxidants that reduce redness and further calm irritation.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
4 Sep. 2025
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Funding used in high school for more than 29 credit hours will reduce scholarship eligibility after high school by one year, and more than 59 credit hours will reduce eligibility by two years.—
Edward McKinnon,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even when the Dodgers find a glimmer, it has been dulled rather quickly.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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This etching makes a countertop easily stain and dulls the surface.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many in Washington have entertained the notion that Venezuelan oil could ease international energy prices and blunt the Russian war machine.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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New York is also facing a lawsuit filed by 22 Republican attorneys general who argue that the law will do little to blunt the impact of climate change while passing on the costs to the state’s consumers in the form of higher energy bills.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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While an opioid would’ve been an easy choice, a doctor performed a nerve block instead, numbing the peripheral areas of pain rather than sedating the brain.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
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This shift is strangely numbing.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That transition will bring with it some advantages (the conflict of being a part of the Comcast empire is diminished) but also challenges.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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Many observers feel that the family’s power in Thailand is diminished, and its long dominant political machine could finally be out of steam.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Israeli strikes severely weakened Hezbollah – culminating in the assassination of its revered leader, Hassan Nasrallah – and significantly curtailed the group’s domestic clout.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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Symptoms related to Listeria monocytogenes Listeria is especially harmful to people whose immune system is weakened or not fully developed but can also impact healthy individuals.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
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The Finnish midfielder deadened the ball with a foot and quickly chipped it laterally over nearby defenders.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 July 2025
Verb
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The Royals are waiting for his back spasms to subside before getting him back into game action.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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By 2008, Americans were withdrawing, and combat deaths were subsiding to their lowest level since the start of the occupation.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Benumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumb. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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