bemused
Americanadjective
-
bewildered or confused.
a bemused expression on his face.
-
lost in thought; preoccupied.
-
mildly amused, especially in a detached way.
adjective
Commonly Confused
See bemuse.
Other Word Forms
- bemusedly adverb
- unbemused adjective
Etymology
Origin of bemused
Compare meaning
How does bemused compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
He was bemused that he didn’t need a ticket to retrieve his vehicle from the valet at San Vicente Bungalows because, well, he’s Colman Domingo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
She stumbled over several words and spoke about everything from the price of coffee in Italy to iguanas in the United States, leaving her co-hosts in the studio bemused.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
It was popularised by young US influencers like Pink Cardigan this summer, who amassed millions of likes by staring, tongue out, at bemused customers through shop and diner windows.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
Body-cam footage released by the Parma Heights Police Department shows one bemused officer describing how the gourd just “took off” as he tried to grab it.
From Salon • Oct. 12, 2025
There was no adult among them, except, some distance away, in front of a cage filled with playful spider monkeys, a tall wiry white man with silver-rimmed glasses stood bemused.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
