stupefy

[stoo-puh-fahy, styoo-]

verb (used with object)

stupefied, stupefying 

1. to put into a state of little or no sensibility; benumb the faculties of; put into a stupor.

2. to stun, as with a narcotic, a shock, or a strong emotion.

3. to overwhelm with amazement; astound; astonish.

stupefy

/ ˈstjuːpɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to render insensitive or lethargic

2. to confuse or astound

Other Word Forms

• stupefying adjective
• stupefier noun
• stupefyingly adverb
• stupefiedness noun
• unstupefied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stupefy¹

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; -fy

Word History and Origins

Origin of stupefy¹

C16: from Old French stupefier, from Latin stupefacere; see _stupefacient

Example Sentences

One of its common names, Jimson Weed, refers to Jamestown, where visiting British forces mistakenly ate the weed in a salad and spent 11 days in a stupefied delirium.

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When the 55-year-old New Jersey chiropractor looks at his current balance, he is stupefied.

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They could have tried to streamline the stupefying volume of documentation that many Social Security beneficiaries have to provide.

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“Another Simple Favor” pushes the limits of mainstream filmmaking every chance it gets, in ways so cringeworthy and stupefying that it’s difficult not to, at the very least, respect Feig’s chutzpah.

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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".

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Related Words

• astound 
• bemuse 
• bewilder 
• flabbergast 
• nonplus