stupefy
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put into a state of little or no sensibility; benumb the faculties of; put into a stupor.
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to stun, as with a narcotic, a shock, or a strong emotion.
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to overwhelm with amazement; astound; astonish.
verb
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to render insensitive or lethargic
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to confuse or astound
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stupefysimple
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stupefiessimple
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have stupefiedperfect
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has stupefiedperfect
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am stupefyingprogressive
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are stupefyingprogressive
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is stupefyingprogressive
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have been stupefyingperfect progressive
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has been stupefyingperfect progressive
Past
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stupefiedsimple
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had stupefiedperfect
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was stupefyingprogressive
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were stupefyingprogressive
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had been stupefyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stupefy
1590–1600; < Middle French stupefier ≪ Latin stupefacere to benumb, equivalent to stupe-, stem of stupēre to be numb or stunned + facere to make, do 1; see -fy
Explanation
Don't be embarrassed if the magician's tricks stupefy you. It means you're amazed. Who doesn't want to be stopped in his tracks sometimes? Stupefy looks a lot like stupid. But intelligence has nothing to do with being stupefied, which comes from Latin and means "to make stunned." Anyone can be stupefied by something scary, mysterious, or just plain remarkable. Think of tourists visiting New York City for the first time. They stare up at the skyscrapers, lost in wonder. Taking that moment to let themselves be amazed? Nothing stupid about it, unless they step on someone's foot, of course.
Vocabulary lists containing stupefy
100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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Aru Shah and the End of Time
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All the Bright Places
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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.
See Examples For:
They stupefy in equal measure, the Shchukin and Morozov collections, yet the two Vuitton Foundation shows have radically different tones in their final acts.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2021
It’s about seeing Scarlett and Bradley and Cate and who will dazzle, who will stupefy, whose attempt at sartorial splendor — remember Angelina’s right leg?
From Washington Post ● Feb. 22, 2015
He puts the yawn into stultify, the stupefy into catatonia, stone-facedly delivering the exact same chords, licks, and nasal delivery for over three decades over a backbeat that would have lost the Boer War.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2012
These painted maps are images of power, designed to amaze and to stupefy.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 23, 2010
It is something so bright, loud, weird and delicate as to stupefy the senses.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
The increasingly bread-head and circus-like aspects of EDM have provoked a backlash from those who feel dance culture is swapping underground intimacy in favour of soul-less bombast that stuns and stupefies audiences into slack-jawed submission.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 2, 2012
With an inimitable style that 1988 Olympic champion Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland has called "art on skis," Miller frequently stupefies his rivals as he wins races while choosing improbable routes down a mountain.
From Chicago Tribune ● Feb. 18, 2011
In conclusion: sport may not inevitably coarsen, but in the particular form of society we have it undoubtedly stupefies.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 24, 2010
Pianist Garner still has more than his fair share of fingers, but their presence often stupefies rather than charms.
From Time Magazine Archive
More frequently this visionary state overwhelms and stupefies its victim.
From Toilers of the Sea by Hugo, Victor
When the 55-year-old New Jersey chiropractor looks at his current balance, he is stupefied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2025
The attacks were raised at First Minister's Questions by Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw, who said the school community had been left "stupefied and distressed".
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
Zimmerman, 23, is boisterous and amiable, openhearted and still a little stupefied by it all.
From New York Times ● May 11, 2023
Levin was about to ask which one of the workers discovered the arm, but the slow revelation of the landfill’s awfulness stupefied him as the gate groaned apart.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2022
The eyes of thousands, stupefied with disgust at having been imported by Mr. Armour, Mr. Swift, Mr. Montgomery Ward to break strikes then dismissed for having done so.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
Another block and a half lands you at Barriles, decorated in Colombian flags and giant inflatable soccer balls while salsa blares at stupefying volume from the speakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
People caught up in the tragedy, including the cult leader Jim Jones’s son Stephan and the former congresswoman Jackie Speier, reflect on the stupefying chain of events.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
The stupefying truth revealed itself, and a polite call to his cheery stepmother confirmed that his dad was alive and well — “working in the chicken coop.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
But he will be attending on Saturday for "the bizarre, the uncanny, the stupefying spectacular, the awe inspiring".
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
Perhaps sensing that the conversation was moving from stupid to stupefying, Mini piped up.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
