numbed 1 of 2

numbed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of numb

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 numbed
Adjective
When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies. Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Damon’s Odysseus is numbed by the massacre of Troy’s civilians; Fiennes’ hates himself for leading the best men of Ithaca to their death, gutting his own community in the heedless destruction of another. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Our team reports that as people emerge from the life-or-death struggle for survival, which eclipsed all thought and numbed sensations, their trauma is transforming into a stunned grief. James Gordon, Time, 14 July 2026 After ensuring the donor area is properly numbed, the medical team will remove individual hair grafts one by one with tiny punches. Ethan Stone, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026 At the urgent care unit, the area was numbed and a small incision was made. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbed
Adjective
  • On one Anderson sack late in the first quarter, Allen kicked his feet in agony and later revealed the hit made his left arm go numb.
    Tim Graham, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • When the old man dies, her numb reaction appears caught between grief and relief, though her two adult sons show little understanding of her emotional state.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The sparkle in her eyes had dulled and her smile seemed forced.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Decades of scrolling have dulled our senses somewhat; this is inevitable.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 posted this year alone.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Like Harvey, Williams was asleep when she was awakened by a phone call from her husband, who was out of town.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Brent crude oil prices paused in early trading on Tuesday after gaining in the previous session following a drone attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in Russia that reduced flows from Kazakhstan.
    Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Promise a rebate to every taxpayer when the size and cost of government is reduced.
    Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Know More There’s plenty of history to look back on for House Democrats who worry that a favorable political climate could get blunted by last-minute GOP spending.
    Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a nice bitter chocolate flavor that’s blunted perfectly by the brownies’ delicate sweetness.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • By the time the panic subsided, roughly 70% of the world’s grocery stores had run out of toilet paper at some point.
    Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Though impending rainstorms are likely to make rescue operations more difficult, officials say a previous threat from a lake that had formed on the border between Nepal and Tibet has substantially subsided.
    Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Beyond that, sharpening a feel for when the initial danger has diminished should help the quarterback find a little extra time and space to reset and attack.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Foreign central banks and other institutions looking for a safe place to park their capital have diminished roles in the Treasury market and have increasingly turned to alternative havens like gold.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Exposing the dental pulp and cleaning out the cavity’s contents also would have deadened the nerves and blood vessels there, leading to pain relief, Zubova said.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
  • Merrill had the same impulse—the need to become a self not necessarily free of all that money could buy but not crippled or deadened by it, either.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Numbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbed. Accessed 15 Sep. 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