numb

[ nuhm ]

/ nʌm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR numb ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, numb·er, numb·est.

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)

to make numb.

Nearby words

num., numa pompilius, numantia, numantian, numazu, numb, numbat, number, number crunching, number eight wire, number is up, one's

Origin of numb

1400–50; late Middle English nome literally, taken, seized, variant of nomen, numen, Old English numen, past participle of niman to take, nim¹

Related forms

numb·ly, adverbnumb·ness, nounhalf-numb, adjectiveun·numbed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for numb

Have I got shot up with painkillers and Xylocaine and different things to numb areas so I can play?
The NFL Runs on Piles of Painkillers|Robert Silverman|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But a fleeting impression suggests that rap has a tendency rather to numb as, for all I know, narcotics might.
Tupac and Murray Kempton: The Godfather Who Wore Tweed|Michael Daly|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neubauer says that she was numb and disoriented and scared to talk to the police.
Spies, Lies, and Rape in the Air Force: An Undercover Agent's Story|Jacob Siegel|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People are numb to these comments because of the Phil Robertson uproar.
Why ‘The Bachelor’ Star’s Anti-Gay Comments Got a Pass, But ‘Duck Dynasty’ Didn't|Dean Obeidallah|January 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It takes several close calls month-after-month to get truly hardened, or numb, in places like Fallujah, Khost, or Helmand.
Send in the Marines—and the Anthropologists too?|John Kael Weston|August 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They saw a fire which a squad of the recruits had kindled near the river, to warm their numb hands.
A Dream of Empire|William Henry Venable
The numb, fleshless fingers could hardly guide, or even wield the ax.
History of the Donner Party|C.F. McGlashan
But Winnie's numb brain was on another tack; she did not pursue the implications of Mrs. O'Leary's remark.
Mrs. Maxon Protests|Anthony Hope
He understood that perfectly, yet he was too numb to grieve just now.
In And Out|Edgar Franklin
Silverthorn was numb from sleeping in a cramped posture and without covering; but a deeper chill shook him at these words.
Stories by American Authors, Volume 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for numb

numb

/ (nʌm) /

adjective

deprived of feeling through cold, shock, etc

unable to move; paralysed

characteristic of or resembling numbnessa numb sensation

verb (tr)

to make numb; deaden, shock, or paralyse

Derived Forms

numbly, adverbnumbness, noun

Word Origin for numb

C15: nomen, literally: taken (with paralysis), from Old English niman to take; related to Old Norse nema, Old High German niman

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

Medicine definitions for numb

numb

[ nŭm ]

adj.

Being unable or only partially able to feel sensation or pain; deadened or anesthetized.

Being emotionally unresponsive; indifferent.

v.

To make or become numb.

numb

adjective, numb·er, numb·est.

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of numb

Related forms

Examples from the Web for numb

British Dictionary definitions for numb

numb

adjective

verb (tr)

Derived Forms

Word Origin for numb

Medicine definitions for numb

numb

adj.

v.