variants
also nonplusing
as in perplexing
Related Words
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Dissimilar Words
variants
also nonplusing
as in embarrassing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
I was nonplussed by his openly expressed admiration of me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonplussing
Adjective
-
Mamdani’s revenue estimates look realistic rather than usefully bleak; notwithstanding his perplexing series of revisions, the gap appears to be real.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026 -
The craze is perplexing to parents, but Bennett said the Hornets have embraced it to bring joy to young people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These are embarrassing own goals that Republicans simply can’t afford.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That alone would be disconcerting, but that the line (dubbed the Petrova Line, after the scientist who discovered it) seems to be linked to a new, gradual dimming of the sun?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The only disconcerting note for reigning champion Bayern was the withdrawal at halftime of Manuel Neuer.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the notice sent last spring was so vague and confusing that few people used it to object.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The company’s messaging has been confusing and has at various points seemed to contradict its own previous statements, as well as information from the government.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Of the many women who have spoken out against you, Gwyneth Paltrow has been particularly upsetting to you.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Of course, asking for the tweets to be removed would mean upsetting Trump, and that’s a nonstarter.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Then you are hit by another song, booming from a new performer and accompanied by the sound of his shopping cart rattling over the cobblestone street.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The conflict has since spread across the region, rattling global markets, disrupting air travel and leaving Iran’s leadership weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The keenness of my letdown was dismaying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But there’s another side to this story, equally dismaying, which is the abandonment of dissidents as a public cause in the West.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Nonplussing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonplussing. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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