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benumbs

verb

present tense third-person singular of benumb
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
  1. numbs
  2. reduces
  3. dulls
  4. deadens
  5. blunts
  6. diminishes
  7. weakens
  8. damps
Verb
  • The slime of some species also numbs an attacker’s tongue, protecting them from predators.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
  • This is the type of consistency that numbs fans from their love of the game.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of numbs
Verb
  • This merger leaves fewer studios competing for scripts and talent, gives one company greater power to dictate terms to distributors, and reduces streaming choices.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The order also tells state natural resources agencies to fast-track permitting for work that reduces flood and landslide risk.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of reduces
Verb
  • But Aroonpheng’s worldbuilding is arcane to a fault, with no thanks to a weirdly flat rhythm that dulls the excitement of the film’s many narrative swerves.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Detergent, minerals, and everyday grime can cling to the fibers, creating a film that dulls their appearance.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of dulls
Verb
  • Oppressively hot, lie-down-and-take-a-nap hot, hydration-break hot, the kind of hot that deadens feet.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
Definition of deadens
Verb
  • But Democrats are celebrating the decision, which blunts some of the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year allowing more coordinated spending between parties and candidates.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • And that success blunts the effectiveness of what the Iranians are trying to do at the Strait of Hormuz.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of blunts
Verb
  • The impressive density of this overload, which embraces the possibilities of relatively new technology to find novel ways to deliver and compress context, diminishes as Carter is drawn to Japan by Izumi Adachi (Kiko Mizuhara).
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The governor’s effective yield to Harris diminishes the possibility of a showdown between two of California’s most powerful political figures in an election whose stakes are viewed by the Democratic Party as existential.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminishes
Verb
  • Each decision to move work overseas further weakens the economic conditions needed to sustain domestic capacity.
    — George Whittier, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • However, Bernstein pointed out that even if the global AI trade weakens, India is unlikely to see any major reversal of foreign capital flows.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Ash wood damps the micro-vibrations of rough urban pavement in a way aluminum and steel can't match without extra engineering.
    — Omar Kardoudi April 15, New Atlas, 15 Apr. 2026
  • While the standard model damps the road irregularities, the S feels more glued down, even in its softest setting, Sport.
    — Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of damps
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.

Browse Nearby Words

benumbing
benumbs
be on the lookout for
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Cite this Entry

“Benumbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumbs. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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