nonplus

American  

[non-pluhs] / nɒnˈplʌs /

verb (used with object)

nonplussed, nonplused, nonplussing, nonplusing

1. to render utterly perplexed by something unexpected; puzzle completely.

   He nonplussed his questioners by answering in riddles.

   Synonyms:

   disconcert, confound, confuse, perplex

2. to cause to feel indifferent, calm, or unexcited.

   The shoppers were entirely nonplussed by the disturbance in the street, continuing to gaze at window displays as they strolled along.

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noun

1. a state of utter perplexity.

   When the protagonist's wife suddenly disappears, he's at a nonplus and fights with two different feelings.

nonplus British  

/ nɒnˈplʌs /

verb

1. (tr) to put at a loss; confound

   he was nonplussed by the sudden announcement

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noun

1. a state of utter perplexity prohibiting action or speech

Usage

See nonplussed ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of nonplus

First recorded in 1575–85; (noun) from Latin nōn plūs literally, “not more, no further,” that is, a state in which nothing more can be done

Explanation

To nonplus is to baffle or confuse someone to the point that they have nothing to say. Something weird and mysterious can nonplus you, like a play that is performed entirely by chickens. If you know a little French or Latin, you'll recognize that "non plus" means "no more." When something bewildering nonpluses you, there's no more you can say or do about it. A goal of getting poor grades, running with a bad crowd, and refusing to eat would leave your parents nonplussed. Sometimes people misuse nonplus to mean "unimpressed," but that's not correct: to nonplus is to puzzle, confuse, and dumbfound.

Example Sentences

He found cross-examinations mentally invigorating, soon learned that he could nonplus storming attorneys if he kept smiling no matter how galling their insinuations.

From Time Magazine Archive

Jupp was at a nonplus again; however, he tried to temporise with the mite, the more especially from his noticing that his little legs were quite mottled and his tiny fingers blue with cold.

From Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle by Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)

But it must needs be condemned, because it renders the character of the term ambiguous, and is such a grammatical difficulty as puts the parser at a dead nonplus.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

So The Revolution, from the start, will arouse, thrill, edify, amuse, vex and nonplus its friends.

From The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty Years by Harper, Ida Husted

Utterly at a nonplus, she at length returned to the donkey—that is, to the spot, so far as she could judge, where she had left it.

From Verner's Pride by Wood, Henry, Mrs.

Related Words

• astonish
• astound
• baffle
• bewilder
• daze
• disconcert
• dumbfound
• faze
• fluster
• mystify