Synonyms

numbing

American

[nuhm-ing] / ˈnʌm ɪŋ /

adjective

causing numbness or insensibility; stupefying.

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

Other Word Forms

numbingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of numbing

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

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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

But sometime over this last winter — that numbing, hoary stretch between mid-February and March — I decided this might be the year to reclaim a bit of seasonal delight.

From Salon

"Is it, in fact, unhealthy and desensitising and numbing to feel joy when we're surrounded by so much suffering?" he asks.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023