numbing

[nuhm-ing]

adjective

1. causing numbness or insensibility; stupefying.

   the numbing effects of grief; a story repeated with numbing regularity.

Other Word Forms

• numbingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of numbing¹

First recorded in 1625–35; numb + -ing ²

Example Sentences

When supplied in large quantities, they can have a numbing effect.

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Despite the name, these aren’t peppers at all but members of the citrus family that trigger a numbing, tingling sensation on the tongue.

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This is unfortunate, and not just because it affects the viewing experience, which is as numbing as a winter at Fort Ticonderoga.

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One of the most "insidious" problems, Natalie said, was as the pain increased, ketamine became one of the only ways of numbing it - causing further damage.

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Mr. Leguizamo eases up on the ferociously funny clowning at which he is so expert to emphasize Nelson’s frantic desperation to avoid having to admit he has failed his family, numbing his anxieties with booze.

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Related Words

• bitter 
• bleak 
• brisk 
• chilled 
• cool 
• crisp 
• frigid 
• frosty 
• frozen 
• icy 
• intense 
• raw 
• snowy 
• wintry