as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a succession of personal tragedies had benumbed him to all grief
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Recent Examples of benumb
Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benumb
Verb
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Trump, who took office on January 20, campaigned heavily on the economy, vowing to reduce inflation and impose tariffs on some of the country's closest trading partners like Mexico and Canada, citing concerns over drugs, immigration, and trade deficits.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
8 Feb. 2025
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Living fences reduce soil erosion and stormwater runoff, while softening your house more than wood or steel fences.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Unlike opioid medications, which dull the sensation of pain in the brain, suzetrigine works by preventing pain-signaling nerves around the body from firing in the first place.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
31 Jan. 2025
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She was floated as a possible running mate for Trump before a controversial anecdote from her memoir appeared to dull her chances.—
Julia Mueller,
The Hill,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Transatlantic unity The war in Ukraine has foreclosed on options and blunted Russian action around the world.—
Ronald H. Linden,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2025
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On that cool November day, the jail staff interrupted that downward cycle, offering Santiago a medication that would blunt his opioid cravings and drastically improve his chances of staying sober, staying alive.—
Ethan Varian,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Thatcher gets to explore a few different directions for Iris over the course of Companion, including numbing dullness, canny super-expertise, and steely aggression on par with the Terminator.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025
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The impending cold snap that has the Front Range bracing for brutal temperatures also will deliver numbing cold with frostbite potential in the high country, especially in the northern mountains near the Continental Divide, according to the OpenSnow forecasting and reporting service.—
John Meyer,
The Denver Post,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Although his output had diminished, from an availability and form perspective, Villa valued him higher than Douglas Luiz or Diaby and with greater scope for improvement.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
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This has less to do with a diminishing talent pool than a changing industry where the lines between Corman’s world and Hollywood at large became more sharply drawn.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the bond market, Treasury yields fell after a report said sales at U.S. retailers weakened by much more last month than economists expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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His executive order, unless reversed by the courts, will encourage greater corruption in Latin America, hurting the region’s economies, weakening democratic institutions and making countries poorer.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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America’s morning television brightens the day but deadens the soul.—
Joel Golby,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
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One way of deadening the mind to distractions is by blowing opponents off the court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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By most measures, political violence subsided after January 2021, in part because hundreds of participants in the January 6 attack were convicted and imprisoned.—
STEVEN LEVITSKY,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
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Ultimately, the north winds subsided and hundreds of firefighters and volunteers got the fire under control.—
Jenny Jarvie,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near benumb
Cite this Entry
“Benumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumb. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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