bewildered

[ bih-wil-derd ]

adjective

1. completely puzzled or confused; perplexed.

Other Words From

• be·wildered·ly adverb
• be·wildered·ness noun
• unbe·wildered adjective
• unbe·wildered·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bewildered¹

First recorded in 1675–85; bewilder + -ed ²

Example Sentences

I found people to be more bewildered than angry about what was happening to them.

From Time

I am bewildered that this school would be placed in the position of either supporting the use of children this way or following a state mandate that holds the force and power of law.

From Voice of San Diego

Just like those days where we were bewildered of how we were going to get the Human Genome Project really done, I don’t really know how we’re going to get complete end-to-end understanding of the human genome.

From Science News

Rarer still is the bewildered champion who hails from a country with no record of producing an event finalist.

From FiveThirtyEight

“After aggressive unions and bewildered school boards shut down schools for a year, the choice bandwagon has begun to roll,” he opined in the Wall Street Journal.

From Washington Post

The experience left Shultz bewildered: “Maybe we are crazy?”

From The Daily Beast

Bewildered adolescents, many of them accompanied by equally confused guardians, spill out into the hallway.

From The Daily Beast

But the language about public schools and cricket bewildered audiences and Frank Rich gave it a stinking review.

From The Daily Beast

Even President Obama seemed bewildered by the runaway program.

From The Daily Beast

Five hours and loads of frustration later, the bewildered psychologist gave up.

From The Daily Beast

She was so bewildered as to be more alive to the present distress of his condition than to the vague horrors downstairs.

From Project Gutenberg

As he fell a great blackness rose around him, and with it the bewildered clamour of awakened dogs.

From Project Gutenberg

He cast one bewildered glance into Dorothy's laughing, sympathetic face and, also, began to laugh aloud.

From Project Gutenberg

The charcoal drops, and the prisoner, passing his hand across his eyes, gazes bewildered at his own work.

From Project Gutenberg

Most girls of her age would have been enchanted and bewildered by this display of royal grandeur.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• astonished
• awed
• baffled
• befuddled
• dazed
• mystified
• perplexed
• puzzled
• rattled
• shocked
• startled
• stunned
• surprised