bemuse

[bih-myooz]

verb (used with object)

bemused, bemusing 

1. to bewilder or confuse.

2. to preoccupy; engross.

3. to cause to be mildly amused, especially in a detached way.

   Apparently bemused by his critics, he floated above the clamor surrounding the campaign.

bemuse

/ bɪˈmjuːz /

verb

1. (tr) to confuse; bewilder

Confusables Note

The verb bemuse (usually as the adjective bemused ) is similar in sound to amuse , and has in fact taken on the meaning "to cause to be mildly amused." Many usage experts and traditionalists consider this a misuse of bemuse , pointing out that its proper meaning is “to bewilder or confuse.” However, the history and use of bemuse has shown that its meaning is often ambiguous. It's often the case that one's feelings are a combination of bewilderment and amusement: Their customs bemuse most Americans. Even when it clearly means "to bewilder or confuse," bemuse usually retains a lighthearted tone: one would not typically say: I was bemused by his motive for the murder.

Other Word Forms

• bemusing adjective
• bemusement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bemuse¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; be- + muse

Example Sentences

But, speaking just after the game, his manager Arne Slot was left bemused by the incident.

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Many of the band members interviewed here, some decades after the moment of their greatest success, look back with a bemused sense of proportion and, where appropriate, regret.

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In an interview with GQ last year, he revealed he had been slightly bemused by the experience.

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She said many people in Maghera had been left "bemused and confused".

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The trio embraced before Scheffler retrieved his hat and left the green with a bemused Bennett nestled in the crook of his left arm.

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Related Words

• amaze 
• bewilder 
• daze 
• muddle 
• perplex 
• puzzle 
• stun 
• stupefy