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.

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

While kids in regular public schools put in their numbing hours, students in spreading networks of classical charters get meaty reading assignments—myths, fairy tales, great books—while also memorizing sonnets and elements of America’s founding documents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

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

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

At this point, they pop up with numbing regularity.

From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2024

Such voracious reading was like an anesthesia, numbing me to the harsh life around me.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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