variants also dumfound

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb dumbfound differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dumbfound are bewilder, confound, distract, nonplus, perplex, and puzzle. While all these words mean "to baffle and disturb mentally," dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

In what contexts can bewilder take the place of dumbfound?

In some situations, the words bewilder and dumbfound are roughly equivalent. However, bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

When is it sensible to use confound instead of dumbfound?

While the synonyms confound and dumbfound are close in meaning, confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

When would distract be a good substitute for dumbfound?

The meanings of distract and dumbfound largely overlap; however, distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

When could nonplus be used to replace dumbfound?

The words nonplus and dumbfound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

Where would perplex be a reasonable alternative to dumbfound?

Although the words perplex and dumbfound have much in common, perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

When might puzzle be a better fit than dumbfound?

The synonyms puzzle and dumbfound are sometimes interchangeable, but puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dumbfound Siri’s Guide for Newbie Farmers To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This implausible performance dumbfounded many Americans, like Carol Foyler, who resides in Akron, Ohio. Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023 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 See All Example Sentences for dumbfound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbfound
Verb
  • Reeve wasn’t surprised by Phoenix’s effort coming out of the halftime locker room.
    Ben Pickman, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Respecting the medium often surprises me with the most rewarding outcomes.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Thai staff were reportedly shocked by the industrial scale of the encounters.
    StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 23 Sep. 2025
  • So the trajectory hasn’t shocked me.
    Eric Markowitz, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Andrew Harnik | Getty Images Shares of Oracle surged 36% in yesterday’s session after the company’s cloud growth estimates amazed Wall Street.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
  • What amazes me is how the same film sparks such different conversations, depending on the room.
    Eitan Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Hollywood leaders were astonished; free speech groups were appalled; and the episode triggered a multi-day news cycle about free speech and corporate capitulation to political pressure.
    Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
  • His work astonishes and moves people far beyond the fashion bubble to this day.
    WWD Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As someone who views the world through a public health lens, the magnitude of collective grief astounded me.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Either way, you'll be astounded by just how light this laptop feels.
    Gear Team, Wired News, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • To be clear, it's been extremely detrimental to the Yankees, who have to be flabbergasted at his immediate fall-off upon arrival.
    Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The pitching coach was flabbergasted.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Dark times shade even darker, and yet through it all, in ways both uplifting and stupefying, life goes on.
    Julia Hass, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone‘s doom-laden black comedy-thriller Bugonia stupefied and delighted the Venice Film Festival on Thursday night, drawing a rousing six-minute standing ovation after its world premiere inside the Italian water city’s Sala Grande cinema.
    Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dumbfound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbfound. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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