Bewilder
to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex:
These shifting attitudes bewilder me.
Contemporary Examples
A purse can impress and intimidate, bewilder, berate, or amuse.
The Language of Margaret Thatcher’s Handbags Robin Givhan April 7, 2013
Historical Examples
Every now and then he did bewilder her by flights of thought which she found herself incapable of following.
Thirty Howard Vincent O’Brien
Now it assembles the blossoms of a whole long year to bewilder and allure.
The Spenders Harry Leon Wilson
Hence in their skirmishes she always gets the better of him; hitting him so swiftly, and in so many spots, as to bewilder his aim.
Shakespeare: His Life, Art, And Characters, Volume I. H. N. Hudson
They bewilder us, but they fail to make a solemn impression.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2 John Tyndall
The accents I had heard were calculated to confound and bewilder.
Wieland; or The Transformation Charles Brockden Brown
If I was to give the history all at once, I have so many things to say that I should bewilder you.
John Deane of Nottingham W.H.G. Kingston
That action and the hints which preceded it seemed to bewilder the little man more than ever.
After Dark Wilkie Collins
We have learnt new, strange ideas that bewilder the good dame.
Tea-Table Talk Jerome K. Jerome
It is only the artificial and the complex that bewilder them.
The Gorgon’s Head Nathaniel Hawthorne
verb (transitive)
to confuse utterly; puzzle
(archaic) to cause to become lost
v.
1680s, from be- “thoroughly” + archaic wilder “lead astray, lure into the wilds,” probably a back-formation of wilderness. An earlier word with the same sense was bewhape (early 14c.). Related: Bewildered; bewildering; bewilderingly.
Read Also:
- Bewildered
completely puzzled or confused; perplexed. to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex: These shifting attitudes bewilder me. Contemporary Examples Instead of penalizing Haller he let the goal stand, to the bewildered fury of all England. England’s Misery Harold Evans June 26, 2010 He tells the bewildered Narnians: ‘I’m so very old: hundreds and hundreds of years […]
- Bewilderment
bewildered state. a confusing maze or tangle, as of objects or conditions: a bewilderment of smoke, noise, and pushing people. Contemporary Examples By 1996, Haitians were scratching their heads in bewilderment, asking themselves Why has America come to save us? Bill Clinton’s Shameful Haiti Legacy Bob Shacochis January 18, 2010 There were two modes of […]
- Bewildering
extremely confusing: a bewildering schedule of events. to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex: These shifting attitudes bewilder me. Contemporary Examples They have to contend with a bewildering Washington bureaucracy. Patients, Not Government, Can Fix Health Care John Barrasso November 20, 2009 Yet, it is still routine to see a bewildering insistence on defeat. Defeating the […]
- Bewitch
to affect by witchcraft or magic; cast a spell over. to enchant; charm; fascinate: The painter bewitched the crowd with his latest work. to cause someone to be enchanted; cast a spell over someone: She lost her power to bewitch. Historical Examples An’ all the time, whatever she’s doin’, she’d bewitch you with her smile […]
- Beyond
on, at, or to the farther side of: Beyond those trees you’ll find his house. farther on than; more distant than: beyond the horizon; beyond the sea. outside the understanding, limits, or reach of; past: beyond comprehension; beyond endurance; beyond help. superior to; surpassing; above: wise beyond all others. more than; in excess of; over […]