mind-boggling
Americanadjective
-
intellectually overwhelming.
a mind-boggling puzzle.
-
emotionally or psychologically overwhelming; mind-blowing.
adjective
Usage
What does mind-boggling mean? Mind-boggling means utterly overwhelming to the mind or extremely difficult to understand or comprehend. The verb boggle means to overwhelm or bewilder, such as with complexity or abnormality. Things are often described as mind-boggling when they’re incredibly complex or exist on a scale that’s impossible to comprehend or “wrap your head around.”A similar term is mind-blowing. Mind-blowing is usually used to describe things that are impressive, whereas mind-boggling usually describes things that are confusing or hard to even think about. Still, the terms are often used interchangeably. The related verb phrase boggle the mind means to astound or be incomprehensible, as in His behavior really boggles the mind sometimes—I can’t begin to understand his motivation for doing the things he does. Example: The size and scale of the universe is mind-boggling—it’s impossible to grasp its magnitude.
Other Word Forms
- mind-bogglingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of mind-boggling
First recorded in 1960–65
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.
Some of the recent FDE proselytes, like OpenAI and Anthropic, have raised mind-boggling sums of money on the promise of a technology powerful enough to reshape the entire economy.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
"Thermal photodetectors are supposed to be slow, so this was mind-boggling to the entire community," Mikkelsen said.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
Roller coasters must be taller, faster and more mind-boggling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
"I was trying to do the sensible thing and reduce the debt," says Tom, "and the default response was to offer me more credit. It was mind-boggling."
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026
This was even more mind-boggling than the thought of my abuelo’s hands picking the strawberries I saw in the supermarket.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
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.
