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
-
What might motivate Rozier to take part in such as scheme is perplexing.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026 -
The right-hander has struggled to maintain his velocity this season, a perplexing trend largely stemming from an inconsistency in his mechanics.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
To be sweating on the results of others and nervously looking over their shoulder — and from fifth place — at this stage of a season is embarrassing enough for Liverpool.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
20 May 2026
-
Lutnick's voluntary closed-door interview comes amid a monthslong procession of powerful people summoned before the committee, many of whom have been subjected to embarrassing revelations in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
The abruptness is disconcerting but can be overcome by learning the pedal’s nuances.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
-
That is really, really, really disconcerting.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Stop confusing busy with productive Founders in the struggle zone are busy.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Schoen’s contract extension is confusing at best.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
These ideas are so embedded in our cultural norms that the prospect of someone receiving rewards that seem unearned can feel extremely upsetting and patently unfair, especially if there is the suggestion that other criteria may be emphasized instead.—
Adia Harvey Wingfield,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Shot in Scope, filled with intimate closeups of the couple, the film lets the audience experience the same upsetting jolt as Gil over Jacques’ desire for control and toxic possessiveness.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
With violence erupting without warning from every corner — and the battle sounds on the soundtrack adding to the tension — wounded soldiers with limited supplies must perform delicate surgery despite shaking hands and rattling floors.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
-
Despite the mothballed plant's handsome brick exterior, inside it's filled with rattling pipes, hazard signs and cockroach carcasses.—
Ishan Thakore,
NPR,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
And in the worst cases — a scenario that plays out with dismaying regularity — the executive who championed the project has moved on to another job entirely.—
George Heller,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
-
This dismaying course of events reflects a major problem with bio-pics: that the involvement of interested parties—whether the subjects themselves, their families, or other rights holders—risks distorting a life story by sanitizing it, leaving out events that would make the subject look bad.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Nonplussing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonplussing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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