benumb

[bih-nuhm]

See more synonyms for benumb on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make numb; deprive of sensation: benumbed by cold.
to render inactive; deaden or stupefy.

Origin of benumb

1350–1400; back formation from Middle English benomen, past participle of benimen to take away, Old English beniman; cognate with Dutch benemen, German benehmen, Gothic biniman. See be-, nimble, numb

Related formsbe·numbed·ness

[bih-nuhmd-nis, -nuhm-id-] /bɪˈnʌmd nɪs, -ˈnʌm ɪd-/, nounbe·numb·ing·ly, adverbbe·numb·ment, nounun·be·numbed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for benumbed

boring, dull, asleep, insensible, insensitive, unresponsive, wooden, trite, uninterested

Examples from the Web for benumbed

Historical Examples of benumbed

I lay down on a deck-chair, and when dawn came was benumbed and sleepy.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
It is so cold, so dark, my senses are so benumbed, and the gloom upon me is so dreadful.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
The heart may be quite happy and strong when the hands are benumbed with cold.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
The icy water so benumbed us we could scarcely control our limbs.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
But the gathering grew sad, benumbed, as it were, with lassitude.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for benumbed

benumb

verb (tr)

to make numb or powerless; deaden physical feeling in, as by cold
(usually passive) to make inactive; stupefy (the mind, senses, will, etc)

Derived Formsbenumbingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for benumbed

benumb

late 15c., from be- + numb. Originally of mental states; of the physical body from 1520s. Related: Benumbed; benumbing.