bewildered
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bewildered
Explanation
If a conversation about quantum mechanics leaves you feeling bewildered, or lost and befuddled, don't feel bad: physics is a baffling and confusing subject. Be- + wildered = "thoroughly gone astray, into the wild," which is pretty much what our minds do when we don't understand something, when we don't even come close to understanding it. If you're bewildered, you are confused on a whole new level. You may even find your confusion confusing. Great synonyms for this word include at sea, bemused, confounded, and mixed-up.
Vocabulary lists containing bewildered
Of Mice and Men
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
Comment sections have quickly evolved into a digital support group for bewildered men swapping stories of their own theatre experience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
“The Admin wants all of this to happen as soon as possible. It is frankly bewildered that Anthropic hasn’t wanted to comply with safety requests that it previously said were its highest priority,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
The Knicks still trailed 90-75 heading into the fourth, but they chipped away against the bewildered Spurs and their determination paid off.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
The song's hiccupy beat, and zany references to jam roly poly and custard left Europe bewildered.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
And we propelled the bewildered old man across to the Beje.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
