numb

1 of 2

adjective

ˈnəm 

1

: unable to feel anything in a particular part of your body especially as a result of cold or anesthesia

It was so cold that my fingers went numb.

2

: unable to think, feel, or react normally because of something that shocks or upsets you : indifferent

He stood there numb with fear.

numbly

ˈnəm-lē 

adverb

numbness noun

numb

2 of 2

verb

numbed; numbing

transitive verb

: to make (someone or something) numb: such as

a

: to cause (a part of the body) to lose sensation

hands numbed by the cold

The injection will numb the area to be operated on.

b

: to impair in force or sensation : deaden

trying to numb the pain

c

: to make (someone) unable to think, feel, or react normally

But there is no humor in Natural Born Killers. It is a relentlessly bloody story designed to shock us and to numb us further to the senselessness of reckless murder.

—Michael Shnayerson

In her last book, Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag disputes the notion that viewers are numbed by an onslaught of photographed calamities.

—Dennis Lim

But Madame Melmotte was neither crushed by grief nor did she affect to be so crushed. She had been numbed by the suddenness and by the awe of the catastrophe.

—Anthony Trolloppe

Synonyms

Adjective

• asleep
• benumbed
• dead
• insensitive
• numbed
• torpid
• unfeeling

Verb

• benumb
• blunt
• cauterize
• damp
• dampen
• deaden
• dull

Examples of numb in a Sentence

Adjective

The side of my face was still numb an hour after the surgery.

I had a numb feeling in my toes.

It was so cold that my fingers went numb.

A stroke can cause one side of your body to go numb.

Her son had died and she just felt numb.

He stood there numb with fear.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Of those who made it out alive, some survivors appeared to be recovering well and others reported feeling numb and detached. —Gal Koplewitz Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Ethan had no motivation, was numb to rewards, struggled with school and couldn't maintain social relationships. —Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English nomme, nomyn "unable to move, paralyzed," literally "taken (by sickness, cold, paralysis, etc.)," from past participle of nimen "to take" — more at nimble

Verb

derivative of numb entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1561, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

numb

1 of 2 adjective

ˈnəm

1

: lacking in sensation especially from cold or from an anesthetic

2

: lacking in emotion : indifferent

numbly adverb

numbness noun

numb

2 of 2 verb

: to make or become numb

Medical Definition

numb

adjective

ˈnəm 

: devoid of sensation (as from the administration of anesthesia or exposure to cold)

numb transitive verb

Arm or leg surgery, even total hip replacements, now can be performed with regional anesthesia, which numbs only the area being operated upon.

—Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal