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dazzle

[daz-uh l]
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verb (used with object), daz·zled, daz·zling.
  1. to overpower or dim the vision of by intense light: He was dazzled by the sudden sunlight.
  2. to impress deeply; astonish with delight: The glorious palace dazzled him.
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verb (used without object), daz·zled, daz·zling.
  1. to shine or reflect brilliantly: gems dazzling in the sunlight.
  2. to be overpowered by light: Her eyes dazzled in the glare.
  3. to excite admiration by brilliance: Once one is accustomed to such splendor, it no longer dazzles.
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noun
  1. an act or instance of dazzling: the dazzle of the spotlights.
  2. something that dazzles.
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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

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2. awe, overwhelm, overpower, stupefy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dazzle

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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
  1. (usually tr) to blind or be blinded partially and temporarily by sudden excessive light
  2. to amaze, as with brillianceshe was dazzled by his wit; she dazzles in this film
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noun
  1. bright light that dazzles
  2. bewilderment caused by glamour, brilliance, etcthe dazzle of fame
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Derived Formsdazzler, noun

Word Origin

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

v.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper