bewilderment

American  

[bih-wil-der-muhnt] / bɪˈwɪl dər mənt /

noun

1. bewildered bewildered state.

2. a confusing maze or tangle, as of objects or conditions.

   a bewilderment of smoke, noise, and pushing people.

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Etymology

Origin of bewilderment

First recorded in 1810–20; bewilder + -ment

Example Sentences

He was gone after 18 months, expressing bewilderment over the public scrutiny of every network move.

From Los Angeles Times

“To Americans who are watching this right now, and I don’t know, maybe you’re watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn or sympathy,” he said.

From Salon

And on Wednesday he will be here pushing the Team USA message at a time of bewilderment in much of the rest of the world, especially in Europe.

From BBC

But these aren’t just your average aphids, as he first suspects—to Agnes’s bewilderment—but an extension of the experiment that his former employers, the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

If Grace was staring down her holiday meal with equal parts courage and bewilderment, surely others were too.

From Salon

Related Words

• confusion
• disorientation
• perplexity