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
- stupefiedness noun
- stupefier noun
- stupefying adjective
- stupefyingly adverb
- unstupefied adjective
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; -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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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.
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
Knausgaard: accretion of detail so exhaustive as to mesmerise, or stupefy, the reader in the service of recapturing the vast psychic shifts of childhood becoming manhood.
From The Guardian • Jun. 23, 2018
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
It is something so bright, loud, weird and delicate as to stupefy the senses.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
