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Are amused and bemused synonyms?
Many people link bemused with amused, believing that the former word carries the meaning “amused, with a touch of something else.” While this was not its original sense, bemused has been used in such a fashion for long enough, and by enough people, that the meaning “having feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing" has become established. You may use bemuse in this fashion if you wish, but bear in mind that some people find it objectionable, insisting that bemused and amused are entirely distinct and that bemused properly means “marked by confusion or bewilderment.” It is worth noting that before bemused indicated confusion it had the meaning (especially among poets) “devoted to the Muses.”
Examples of amuse in a Sentence
airmail.news, 15 Mar. 2025
Writer by day, Comic by night, who aims to inform, inspire, and amuse.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
However, Byron has been nothing but amused over these claims.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2025
In Texarkana, the year before, men and boys amused themselves by cutting off strips of flesh and thrusting knives into their helpless victim.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amuse
Cite this Entry
“Amuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amuse. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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amuse
verb
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