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Showing results for "numbing"

present participle of numb.

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.

We all know the feeling of doom-scrolling, the mindless numbing of the brain.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

The numbing lidocaine was injected first and sprayed down my windpipe, making me feel as if I were drowning.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

This awful situation highlights TV’s ability to unite its otherwise fractured audience, despite years of scripted and unscripted content numbing us to the worst acts people commit against one another.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

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 • Nov. 21, 2025

It goes on and on, numbing her, undermining her willingness to fight for the future, hers or anybody else’s.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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.