bewilder

[bih-wil-der]

verb (used with object)

1. to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex.

   These shifting attitudes bewilder me.

   Synonyms: muddle, stagger, confound, daze, confuse, nonplus, mystify

bewilder

/ bɪˈwɪldə /

verb

1. to confuse utterly; puzzle

2. archaic,  to cause to become lost

Other Word Forms

• bewilderment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bewilder¹

First recorded in 1675–85; be- + wilder ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bewilder¹

C17: see _be- , _wilder

Example Sentences

This wasn't the ancient amphitheatre of Herodium down the road, but it was a sporting spectacle all the same, twisting and turning, bewildering and perplexing.

Read more on BBC

Bond market terminology was designed less to convey meaning than to bewilder outsiders.

Read more on Literature

Since his homecoming—and hospitalization—Seymour has bewildered and occasionally frightened everyone he comes in contact with, except Sybil, a little girl he encounters who is enchanted by his banter and off-kilter stories.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It’s bewildering and dizzying and, I think, disorienting for everyone. People don’t know what’s coming next.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Just as early youth means the endless fascination of new encounters, it also brings sudden, bewildering losses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• baffle 
• befuddle 
• bemuse 
• confound 
• daze 
• disconcert 
• distract 
• fluster 
• mystify 
• perplex 
• puzzle 
• rattle 
• stump 
• stupefy 
• upset