bemused

adjective

be·​mused bi-ˈmyüzd How to pronounce bemused (audio)
bē-
1
: marked by confusion or bewilderment : dazed
… he was fumbling with the sheets, and looking down at them with a slightly bemused expression as though the stuff before him was in a foreign language …Robert Penn Warren
2
: lost in thought or reverie
… as distant and bemused as a Professor Emeritus listening to the prattling of his freshman class.Michael Straight
3
: having or showing feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing
This is not another of those now popular books about a bemused outsider's sojourn in rural France, brimming with colorful locals and heart-warming anecdotes.J. D. McClatchy
bemusedly adverb
Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose. J. K. Rowling

Examples of bemused in a Sentence

new federal regulations that the easily bemused should make no attempt to read and understand
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Everybody was very sympathetic that day and I was slightly bemused by it. Andrew Goldman, Vulture, 16 June 2025 As the Broadway glitterati walked by Studio 54 over these last few nights, Smart was inside, slipping disinfectant into a toilet bowl for her bemused fans. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025 As the Broadway glitterati was walking by outside Studio 54 over these last few nights, Smart was inside, slipping disinfectant into a bowl for her bemused fans. Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025 Other sources familiar with the matter who, like all consulted for this article, have been granted anonymity to protect relations, said some players were less surprised by the decision itself, but more bemused by the timing. Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bemused

Word History

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bemused was in 1734

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bemused.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bemused. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bemused

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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