bewilder

verb

be·​wil·​der bi-ˈwil-dər How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
bē-
bewildered; bewildering bi-ˈwil-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
bē-

transitive verb

1
: to cause to lose one's bearings (see bearing sense 6c)
bewildered by the city's maze of roads
2
: to perplex or confuse especially by a complexity, variety, or multitude of objects or considerations
His decision bewildered her.
utterly bewildered by the instructions
bewilderedly adverb
bewilderedness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for bewilder

puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally.

puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

Examples of bewilder in a Sentence

the change in policy seems to have bewildered many of our customers
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.
Unenlightened of the brownie’s incredible taste, I was bewildered by the perfect combination of these three types of chocolate. Mia Leimkuhler, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 The appeal bewilders attorneys for the 300,000 plaintiffs who each missed out on $3,000 when DeWine cut off the benefits in June 2021 — 10 weeks before they were set to expire. Sam Allard, Axios, 21 Feb. 2025 Still, city officials were bewildered by Adams' action. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025 The torrent of activity left many researchers bewildered—and fearful of what might come next. Byjeffrey Mervis, science.org, 5 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bewilder

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bewilder was in 1633

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Cite this Entry

“Bewilder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bewilder. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bewilder

verb
be·​wil·​der bi-ˈwil-dər How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
bewildered; bewildering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bewilder (audio)
: to confuse especially with a great many things to worry about
bewilderingly adverb
bewilderment
-dər-mənt
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bewilder

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