bemuse
[ bih-myooz ]
/ bɪˈmyuz /
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verb (used with object), be·mused, be·mus·ing.
to bewilder or confuse.
to preoccupy; engross.
to cause to be mildly amused, especially in a detached way: Apparently bemused by his critics, he floated above the clamor surrounding the campaign.
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words often confused with bemuse
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 WORDS FROM bemuse
be·muse·ment, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use bemuse in a sentence
He stood swaying like a drunken man, while a strange bemusing attacked his brain and left a singing in his ears.
The Heart of Unaga|Ridgwell CullumShe is, by long odds, the most intelligent and bemusing of women.
Damn!|Henry Louis MenckenThe strange perfume of it still hung about him, bemusing his heart and mind.
Three John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for bemuse
bemuse
/ (bɪˈmjuːz) /
verb
(tr) to confuse; bewilder
Derived forms of bemuse
bemusement, nounbemusing, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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