numb

[ nuhm ]

/ nʌm /

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 cruncher, number crunching, number eight wire

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 formsnumb·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 numbly

Maria obeyed, but she did that numbly, without any realization of the task.
By the Light of the Soul|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
She walked blindly, numbly to her room, assisted by her uncle, the Count.
Graustark|George Barr McCutcheon
Numbly he recognized the countenances which were turned toward him.
Beyond the Black River|Robert E. Howard
Shandor read, numbly, his mind twisting in protest as the picture unfolded.
Bear Trap|Alan Edward Nourse

They knelt together, and Hyacinth, numbly indifferent, felt his hand grasped and held.
Hyacinth|George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for numbly

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 Formsnumbly, 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

Word Origin and History for numbly (1 of 2)

numb

1550s, from numb (adj.). Related: Numbed; numbing.

Word Origin and History for numbly (1 of 2)

numb

adj.

c.1400, nome, "deprived of motion or feeling," literally "taken, seized," from past participle of nimen "to take, seize," from Old English niman "to take, catch, grasp" (see nimble). The extraneous -b (to conform to comb, limb, etc.) appeared 17c. The notion is of being "taken" with palsy, shock, and especially cold. Figurative use from 1560s.

Medicine definitions for numbly

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.