variants also nonplused
Definition of nonplussednext
as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do the self-possessed actress seemed uncharacteristically nonplussed after the director's harsh appraisal of her performance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonplussed

2 of 2

verb

variants also nonplused
past tense of nonplus

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 nonplussed
Adjective
Syracuse University sports management professor Richard Burton was more nonplussed about the French Open. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 May 2026 Not that everyone seems nonplussed. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Verb
Some analysts were nonplussed at the double-digit share price drop. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 4 June 2026 Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste, a nonprofit that helped push for the law, is nonplussed by industry protests. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for nonplussed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonplussed
Adjective
  • Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • College football fans were a little perplexed as to why the flag wasn’t thrown.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Chicago embarrassed Philadelphia, while the Eagles squandered a late lead against the Rams before suffering an improbable loss to the Jaguars in London.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Longhorns’ offense scored 17 points against a Florida defense that Missouri and South Carolina embarrassed.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The Tulare County elections office in the Central Valley was suddenly getting peppered with questions from baffled voters.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Thanks to the coffered and baffled wood ceilings, noise levels are buffered and kept to a pleasant rumble.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Ureaplasma is frequently confused with or misdiagnosed as Interstitial Cystitis (IC), sending patients down a very different treatment path.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The sticker price of an iPhone might be confused with that of a luxury watch.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • They were soon surrounded by a crowd of about 1,000 bewildered villagers, who alerted forest officials patrolling nearby.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • What appears before the bewildered trio is a boy with a face resembling a frog’s, named Fūsuke.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That smothering defense flustered the Valkyries into committing 19 turnovers that led to 24 points for Atlanta.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Chicago rallied from a 2-0 hole after being flustered by Marlins starter Janson Junk, who threw five scoreless innings.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nonplussed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonplussed. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster