dazzle

[daz-uhl]

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verb (used with object), daz·zled, daz·zling.

to overpower or dim the vision of by intense light: He was dazzled by the sudden sunlight.
to impress deeply; astonish with delight: The glorious palace dazzled him.

verb (used without object), daz·zled, daz·zling.

to shine or reflect brilliantly: gems dazzling in the sunlight.
to be overpowered by light: Her eyes dazzled in the glare.
to excite admiration by brilliance: Once one is accustomed to such splendor, it no longer dazzles.

noun

an act or instance of dazzling: the dazzle of the spotlights.
something that dazzles.

Origin of dazzle

First recorded in 1475–85; daze + -le

Related formsdaz·zler, noundaz·zling·ly, adverbout·daz·zle, verb (used with object), out·daz·zled, out·daz·zling.o·ver·daz·zle, verb, o·ver·daz·zled, o·ver·daz·zling.un·daz·zled, adjectiveun·daz·zling, adjective

Synonyms for dazzle

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2. awe, overwhelm, overpower, stupefy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dazzle

blind, fascinate, overwhelm, impress, excite, hypnotize, astonish, daze, blur, surprise, awe, glitz, overpower, bedazzle, stupefy, overawe, razzle-dazzle

Examples from the Web for dazzle

Contemporary Examples of dazzle

Movies are meant to dazzle, and American Hustle does just that.
‘American Hustle’ Is Overrated
Kevin Fallon
January 28, 2014
There was a kinetic energy, a vibrancy that leapt off the screen that did, indeed, dazzle.
‘American Hustle’ Is Overrated
Kevin Fallon
January 28, 2014
But it was too late, as critics and audiences had already written it off once the show failed to dazzle them from the outset.
‘Sound of Music’ Star Laura Benanti Is About to Be One of Your Favorite Things
Kevin Fallon
December 4, 2013
Would we really have preferred her to lie—to dazzle us all with her stiff-upper-lippiness?
Give Ann Romney a Break
Michelle Cottle
March 6, 2013
Without Steve around to dazzle us, it gets easier to ask tougher questions.
Mike Daisey Remembers Steve Jobs a Year After His Death
Mike Daisey
October 5, 2012

Historical Examples of dazzle

I will dazzle her senses with all the attractions that the globe of earth has to boast.
Imogen
William Godwin
I now require this of all pictures, that they domesticate me, not that they dazzle me.
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
His fierce assumption of knowledge seemed to dazzle and daze the Spaniard.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
On this occasion Beatrice dressed to dazzle and intimidate one of her own sex.
The Gorgeous Girl
Nalbro Bartley
He knew me to be poor, and yet saw clearly that wealth did not dazzle me.
Sir Jasper Carew
Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for dazzle

dazzle

verb

(usually tr) to blind or be blinded partially and temporarily by sudden excessive light
to amaze, as with brillianceshe was dazzled by his wit; she dazzles in this film

noun

bright light that dazzles
bewilderment caused by glamour, brilliance, etcthe dazzle of fame

Derived Formsdazzler, noun

Word Origin for dazzle

C15: from daze

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dazzle

late 15c., frequentative of Middle English dasen (see daze (v.)). Originally intransitive; the transitive sense is from 1530s. Related: Dazzled; dazzling.