Synonyms

bewilder

American

[bih-wil-der] / bɪˈwɪl dər /

verb (used with object)

to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex.

These shifting attitudes bewilder me.

Synonyms:

muddle, stagger, confound, daze, confuse, nonplus, mystify

bewilder British

/ bɪˈwɪldə /

verb

to confuse utterly; puzzle
archaic to cause to become lost

"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

Other Word Forms

bewilderment noun

Etymology

Origin of bewilder

First recorded in 1675–85; be- + wilder ¹

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.

There is something intuitively catchy about brain attack, even if it’s also a little bewildering.

From Los Angeles Times

Stalin “possessed both an uncontrollable temper and extraordinary willpower. He was capable of bewildering recklessness and cold-blooded displays of control.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Anthropic calls Claude a “thinking partner” with which users can tackle “any big, bold, bewildering challenge.”

From Barron's

His friends believed in his destiny, though he often left them offended and bewildered.

From The Wall Street Journal

The District Councils Network, which represents many of the smaller councils affected, says voters will be "bewildered".

From BBC

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