nonplus
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to render utterly perplexed by something unexpected; puzzle completely.
He nonplussed his questioners by answering in riddles.
- Synonyms:
- disconcert, confound, confuse, perplex
-
to cause to feel indifferent, calm, or unexcited.
The shoppers were entirely nonplussed by the disturbance in the street, continuing to gaze at window displays as they strolled along.
noun
verb
noun
Usage
See nonplussed ( def. ).
Etymology
Origin of nonplus
First recorded in 1575–85; (noun) from Latin nōn plūs literally, “not more, no further,” that is, a state in which nothing more can be done
Explanation
To nonplus is to baffle or confuse someone to the point that they have nothing to say. Something weird and mysterious can nonplus you, like a play that is performed entirely by chickens. If you know a little French or Latin, you'll recognize that "non plus" means "no more." When something bewildering nonpluses you, there's no more you can say or do about it. A goal of getting poor grades, running with a bad crowd, and refusing to eat would leave your parents nonplussed. Sometimes people misuse nonplus to mean "unimpressed," but that's not correct: to nonplus is to puzzle, confuse, and dumbfound.
Vocabulary lists containing nonplus
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He found cross-examinations mentally invigorating, soon learned that he could nonplus storming attorneys if he kept smiling no matter how galling their insinuations.
From Time Magazine Archive
The small boy hesitated, plainly at a nonplus.
From The Dop Doctor by Dehan, Richard
In short, it might nonplus a Person of the nicest Taste, to distinguish or determine, whether the Neatness of their Cells within, or the beauteous Varieties without, most exhaust his Admiration.
From Military Memoirs of Capt. George Carleton by Defoe, Daniel
Loth to go to Hell and put to a nonplus, David built a nest in a tree in Richmond Park, and he paused therein to consider which way to proceed.
From My Neighbors Stories of the Welsh People by Evans, Caradoc
Jupp was at a nonplus again; however, he tried to temporise with the mite, the more especially from his noticing that his little legs were quite mottled and his tiny fingers blue with cold.
From Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle by Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)
He isn’t nodding his head or pumping his fist or rapping the lyrics like no few of the V.I.P.s present; in fact he seems almost nonplused.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
Nguyen, 43, is delighted by the attention the script has received, even while sounding a little nonplused.
From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2020
Ronstadt even seemed nonplused about the Kennedy Center Honor she will receive in Washington in December.
From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2019
And this, in turn, has left some of his peers nonplused — grumbling at what they see as a flimsy theory or bewildered as to why Harvard’s top astronomer won’t shut up about aliens.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2019
“I sure could use some lumber for my front porch,” he said, nonplused.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
The unflappable Lincoln might have been a little nonplussed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Currencies, bonds, and stocks appeared to be nonplussed.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
Ford, who died of natural causes at age 93 in 2006, was said to be nonplussed by Moore’s attempt on his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025
But Rotem Naftalovich, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, one of the three researchers involved, said the US food regulator was nonplussed by the admittedly "wonky" idea.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
Ser Rodrik's hand went to his face to stroke his whiskers and discovered once again that they were gone, lie looked nonplussed.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Weaver, however, verged on nonplussing co-hosts Brian Williams and Rachel Maddow, as well as reporter Steve Kornacki, MSNBC's millennial version of CNN's king-of-the-"Magic Wall" John King.
From US News ● Apr. 20, 2016
While his powers of discussion of a subject were great, the power that especially characterized him was that of nonplussing his antagonist with a snub or a sarcasm.
From The Brothers' War by Reed, John Calvin
He received visitors with the graciousness of the courteous head of a department, who resigns himself to listen to demands, allowing them to talk as he smiled faintly, and nonplussing them by his calmness.
From Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories by Maupassant, Guy de
Dismissing this nonplussing phase, I turned to the subject of the gem once more.
From The Paternoster Ruby by Walk, Charles Edmonds
Our higher officials are fond as a rule of nonplussing their subordinates; the methods to which they have recourse to attain that end are rather various.
From Fathers and Children by Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
