variants
also nonplusing
as in perplexing
Related Words
Relevance
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
-
And, equally perplexing, why was the moon in America?—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026 -
The judging is vexing and perplexing.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And when that happens, Jamahl Mosley — a good coach and an even better man — will be the fall guy for a team that is embarrassing itself on a national scale and getting exposed in the league standings.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Harbaugh has taken a blow torch to the Giants’ embarrassing special teams unit.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There are plenty of inconveniences frequent air travelers have become accustomed to, from long security lines to shrinking overhead storage bins, but few are as disconcerting as heavy turbulence in flight.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
-
About 20 miles southwest of Indianapolis, Mooresville residents report finding dirty water filters turning a disconcerting brown.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As if that wasn’t confusing enough, not all Christians agree on what day of the calendar that specific Sunday is.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
-
However, following the path of Artemis II may be confusing as the astronauts, mission control and others use confusing jargon and phrases.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It’s been nearly two months since the BAFTA Film Awards were upended by a series of profoundly upsetting outbursts during the February ceremony.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
-
This story involves discussion about suicide that some readers may find upsetting.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 6-foot-2 Strong — AP’s Player of the Year — was bothered by South Carolina’s interior size, with several of her inside shots rattling in and out.—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Since strikes began in February, Iran has blocked tanker traffic through the strait, sending global energy prices surging and rattling financial markets.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Nonplussing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonplussing. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
