as in numbs
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a succession of personal tragedies had benumbed him to all grief
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benumbs
Verb
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This is the type of consistency that numbs fans from their love of the game.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2026 -
Cold water immersion constricts blood vessels, reduces swelling, numbs sore areas, and flushes lactic acid from the muscles.—
Outside,
Outside,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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By leveraging light to enhance oxygen electrochemistry, the approach reduces energy losses and extends device lifetime without relying on precious metals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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The hostage standoff ultimately reduces both men into victims, revealing where power really lies.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yes, the glossy aesthetic occasionally dulls the impact of the director’s more tactile sensibilities, and a few script contrivances stretch believability.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
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Grounding Is the Way Back Too much technical connection dulls intuition; many leaders describe their clearest thinking happening away from screens.—
C200,
Forbes.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By this decade, your body has started to naturally lose muscle mass, and putting on new muscle may be more difficult due to anabolic resistance, which blunts the muscle’s ability to respond to external stimuli like exercise and protein.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
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For Sanders, landing and holding a blue-chip defensive back during a losing season is a massive recruiting win that blunts any narratives of recruits fleeing the program.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Maybe, too, Giannis gets hurt again in March and his trade value diminishes a bit more.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
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Critics of this new federal tax scholarship program such as the Chicago Teachers Union, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and other lobbying groups say that this funding program takes money away from public education and diminishes schooling opportunities in favor of private or religious schools.—
Froylan Jimenez,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When the vortex weakens, that tight circle becomes wavier, akin to how a slow-moving river tends to meander in bends across the landscape, Swain says.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
9 Feb. 2026
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In contrast to conventional recycling, which weakens fibers and limits how they can be reused, Uplift360’s non-degenerative method produces material that can go straight back into high-performance supply chains.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recession risk dampens the confidence for big purchases, even if mortgage math improves.—
John Walkup,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Snow also dampens the sound and may slightly reduce the danger compared to a typical thunderstorm.—
Brandi D. Addison,
IndyStar,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Those physicians worry the impacts will last long after the surge subsides.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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As the mayhem subsides, a silhouette of a lone Charli remains.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
27 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Benumbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumbs. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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