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

Now the bewildered rodent could do nothing but press his nose against the glass and knock with his tiny, monkeylike paws as his bushy tail flicked to and fro with anxiety.

Read more on Literature

Lady Constance righted herself, as if her teary-eyed dive at the bewildered governess had never happened.

Read more on Literature

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

Related Words

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