bewilderment
Americannoun
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bewildered state.
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a confusing maze or tangle, as of objects or conditions.
a bewilderment of smoke, noise, and pushing people.
Etymology
Origin of bewilderment
Explanation
If you spoke nothing but German one day to your English-speaking friends and co-workers, it would probably result in complete bewilderment. Bewilderment is a state of being confused and puzzled. Bewilderment means not understanding, but it goes beyond that — it implies a state of complete mystification. People experience bewilderment when they are utterly baffled by the situation at hand. The word is a relatively new one, first recorded in the 1680s as a combination of be, "thoroughly," and wilder, "lead astray or lure into the wilds." You can think of bewilderment as being led into the wilderness and left to puzzle your way out.
Vocabulary lists containing bewilderment
The Giver
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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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.
News of the updated sign language was met with applause and general bewilderment from Disneyland fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
A crop of middlemen are now capitalizing on this bewilderment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The mixture of satisfaction, excitement and sheer bewilderment that Neill wore in the first dinosaur scene in “Jurassic Park” was so effective that it made viewers feel like they, too, were witnessing something beyond imagination.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
In one of the most emotional moments in the interview, Sturgeon describes her pain and bewilderment on discovering this had been bought with stolen cash.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
At last, Amsterdam, even bigger than Haarlem, with its bewilderment of strange streets and canals.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
