variants
also dumfound
as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the surprise ending will dumbfound even the most seasoned mystery reader
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
variants
also dumfounding
as in startling
causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness
the dumbfounding sight of the race car driver walking away from that horrific crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also dumfounding
as in surprising
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the surprise ending will dumbfound even the most seasoned mystery reader
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of dumbfound
Nick Romano, EW.com, 16 June 2023
An American visionary, Anderson embraces his bourgeois adolescence with poetic accuracy: a boy floating forward to give help; a girl raising her hand to ask a question; a general revealing his ethnically specific history; everyone dumbfounded by an extraterrestrial’s appearance.
—Armond White, National Review, 16 June 2023
Photographs of Nahapetian at the film’s premiere dumbfounded a fair number of social media users, who had also mistaken the actor for a de-aged Phoenix after watching the trailer.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Witnesses told The Times that spectators were dumbfounded.
—Rachel Uranga, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for dumbfound
Verb
Credit: Everett Collection Sox in Lightyear Sohn as Sox, the cat-like personal companion robot for Chris Evans' Buzz Lightyear, became the unexpected standout of this 2022 movie — which still dumbfounds Sohn a bit to this day.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 16 June 2023
An American visionary, Anderson embraces his bourgeois adolescence with poetic accuracy: a boy floating forward to give help; a girl raising her hand to ask a question; a general revealing his ethnically specific history; everyone dumbfounded by an extraterrestrial’s appearance.
—Armond White, National Review, 16 June 2023
Photographs of Nahapetian at the film’s premiere dumbfounded a fair number of social media users, who had also mistaken the actor for a de-aged Phoenix after watching the trailer.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Witnesses told The Times that spectators were dumbfounded.
—Rachel Uranga, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for dumbfound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbfound
Adjective
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More startling is the proliferation of machine or non-human identities (NHIs).—
Paul Zolfaghari,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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But advances in the sequencing of ancient and modern DNA have allowed scientists to look more closely at how our genetic code has evolved over time—and the results are startling.—
Kermit Pattison,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The Cardinals certainly hope that’s the case, as their rotation has been a surprising strength.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
26 May 2025
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Listen to this article 3 min Italian archaeologists recently made a surprising religious discovery in an unusual location: an Ancient Roman bath complex.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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After 23 years and an astonishing 4,953 episodes, the show reaches its finale Friday as the sports media industry’s most prolific on-air talent incubator.—
Dan Shanoff,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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This gem detailing the ancient underground aqueducts of Rome gives both a visual and historical account of man’s insatiable appetite to overcome nature and create astonishing engineering marvels to uplift the human condition.—
Smithsonian magazine,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Following the amazing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake from the end of last year, the other two parts of the Erdrick Trilogy are being combined into one game.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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There’s still men — there’s Benson, who’s doing amazing.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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Immerse yourself in the outdoors in South America Known for its alpine mountains and sapphire-blue lakes, Chile’s lake district is also a destination filled with stunning natural beauty.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 May 2025
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But the stunning decline in imports could mean retailers have less of an inventory buffer, leaving them less able to avoid paying future tariffs — and that could lead to price increases for US consumers.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Read more: Lakers' Bronny James Among NBA's Elite in One Unique Category Following the shocking comeback victory, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark could not contain her excitement.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
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The shocking 2023 implosion of the OceanGate Titan submersible, which instantly killed all five passengers, is the subject of a damning new documentary from Netflix.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dumbfound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbfound. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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