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
Robert Penn Warren2
: lost in thought or reverie
… as distant and bemused as a Professor Emeritus listening to the prattling of his freshman class.—Michael Straight
Michael Straight3
: 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
J. D. McClatchy
bemusedly
bi-ˈmyü-zəd-lē 
adverb
bē-
Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose.
—J. K. Rowling
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
Some have taken a bemused pleasure in Americana-style music finally getting its own hip-hop-style major beef, even if the two acoustic guitar strummers in question are wildly mismatched as far as being a comparative David and Goliath.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 May 2025
And as Emma dishes out that bemused look, Erica and the boys burst into laughter—and carry on with their song.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
However, things then went from bad to worse for Spaun who could only watch with a bemused expression as his tee shot on the famous par-three 17th sailed way past the green and landed straight in the water.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Peck and Mount stand wearing bemused grins, while Gooding displays a mysterious countenance and stylish new hairdo while casually seated.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bemused
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Chris Willman, Variety, 11 May 2025
And as Emma dishes out that bemused look, Erica and the boys burst into laughter—and carry on with their song.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
However, things then went from bad to worse for Spaun who could only watch with a bemused expression as his tee shot on the famous par-three 17th sailed way past the green and landed straight in the water.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Peck and Mount stand wearing bemused grins, while Gooding displays a mysterious countenance and stylish new hairdo while casually seated.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bemused
Cite this Entry
“Bemused.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bemused. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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