numb
Americanadjective
-
deprived of physical sensation or the ability to move.
fingers numb with cold.
-
manifesting or resembling numbness.
a numb sensation.
-
incapable of action or of feeling emotion; enervated; prostrate.
numb with grief.
-
lacking or deficient in emotion or feeling; indifferent.
She was numb to their pleas for mercy.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
deprived of feeling through cold, shock, etc
-
unable to move; paralysed
-
characteristic of or resembling numbness
a numb sensation
verb
Other Word Forms
- half-numb adjective
- numbly adverb
- numbness noun
- unnumbed adjective
Etymology
Origin of numb
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English nome, literally, “taken, seized,” variant of nomen, numen, Old English numen, past participle of niman “to take, steal”; nim 1
Explanation
Numb is an adjective that describes a lack of sensation. After skiing all day, your toes might be numb from the cold. You'd feel numb for hours after hearing that your favorite band broke up. People can feel numb in terms of their feelings and emotions. For example, if you've had your heart broken lots of times, you start to become numb — the breakups don't upset you so much. Numb can also describe being so frightened that you can't move, like being numb with fear when you saw the bear near your campsite. Numb can also mean "to make insensitive," like when the dentist numbs your gums so you won't feel any pain.
Vocabulary lists containing numb
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Lesson 1
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The Circuit
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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.
But in 2026, everything can be dramatized until we’re numb to the truth of what we’re seeing.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
Symptoms can include a desire to tune out for a spell, stick your head in an ice bucket, or find another way to numb the senses.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026
A community in Londonderry has been left "numb" and "in shock" following the deaths of two young friends in a crash across the border in Donegal, according to a grief counsellor.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
"I feel a bit numb, a bit emotionless," he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
He sat there all day, not thinking, numb.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
