bewilderment
noun
be·wil·der·ment
bi-ˈwil-dər-mənt 
bē-
1
: the quality or state of being lost, perplexed, or confused : the quality or state of being bewildered
She stared at them in bewilderment.
2
: a complicated or confusing state or condition : a bewildering tangle or confusion
a bewilderment of streets
Examples of bewilderment in a Sentence
the slightest change in her daily routine leaves her in complete bewilderment
Recent Examples on the Web
Pan’s final pages are a kaleidoscope of phantasmagoria and philosophic bewilderment, a refusal of closure and clarity that is seemingly—and fittingly—designed to give readers a heavy dose of, to use the clinical term, derealization.
—
Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
When that turned into mass annihilation, the most frequent Israeli excuse was the population’s state of shock, trauma, exhaustion and bewilderment, the sensation of being under threat from outsiders and in imminent danger.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Plans were met with questions, reservations, rejection, bewilderment, violence, and, more recently, a yawn.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Ruben Amorim furrowed his brow in complete bewilderment.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bewilderment
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Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
When that turned into mass annihilation, the most frequent Israeli excuse was the population’s state of shock, trauma, exhaustion and bewilderment, the sensation of being under threat from outsiders and in imminent danger.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Plans were met with questions, reservations, rejection, bewilderment, violence, and, more recently, a yawn.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Ruben Amorim furrowed his brow in complete bewilderment.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bewilderment
Cite this Entry
“Bewilderment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bewilderment. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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