1
as in numbed
lacking in sensation or feeling
I've been sitting in the same position for too long and now my feet are numb
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blank
not expressing any emotion
apparently in shock, he answered the police officer's questions with a numb expression on his face
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stoic
not feeling or showing emotion
years of physical and emotional abuse had rendered the woman numb and withdrawn
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to dull
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
wait for the medication to numb your mouth
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of numb
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
The public at large is gradually becoming numb to our Palantirized surveillance state, and American communities are responding to the militarization of federal law enforcement with their own increasingly intricate webs of sousveillance.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Blast of Arctic cold on Saturday The WJZ First Alert Weather Team has upgraded Saturday to a First Alert Weather Day for strong, powerful wind gusts, numbing temperatures, and dangerously low wind-chills.
—Steven Sosna, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for numb
Adjective
Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra was rushed to a hospital over the weekend after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, causing the left side of his body to go completely numb.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
The public at large is gradually becoming numb to our Palantirized surveillance state, and American communities are responding to the militarization of federal law enforcement with their own increasingly intricate webs of sousveillance.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
The 25-minute, full-face treatment involves numbing and is highly tolerable, with one to two days of mild redness.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Blast of Arctic cold on Saturday The WJZ First Alert Weather Team has upgraded Saturday to a First Alert Weather Day for strong, powerful wind gusts, numbing temperatures, and dangerously low wind-chills.
—Steven Sosna, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for numb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numb
Adjective
-
When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As Leland, a teen who kills his ex-girlfriend’s developmentally disabled brother, Gosling mostly stays blank and vacant; his unwavering reticence is required by Matthew Ryan Hoge’s script, which relies on a final reveal to justify its existence.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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Both of these, like most of Madrazo’s male portraits, leave the background almost blank; by contrast, his portraits of women (such as Taft’s wife, Anna Sinton Taft) are more abundantly decorated.—
Benjamin Lima
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.—
Ken Simmons,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Mar. 2026
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So there sauntered Judge, one of the most stoic sluggers in a sport full of them.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That all unfortunately overshadows the palpable affection Gosling and Emma Stone have in their second of three movie romances, and even Gosling’s playboy charisma gets dulled a bit.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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And then the steakhouse’s growth spurt dulled.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Calm sets in, but so does the kind of over-relaxation that leads to micro-sleep — periods of four to five seconds — which, at highway speeds around 60 mph, can careen a car the length of a football field while the driver is basically asleep at the wheel.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
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Have fun explaining exactly what went on while your child was asleep.—
Amanda Rock,
Parents,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The empty gold frames on the walls of the Dutch Room at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston might be the most famous empty frames in the world.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
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Kabul said Pakistan hit two locations, including an empty security site and a drug rehabilitation center that sustained minor damage.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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August 23 – September 22 Clear agreements start with calm words.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
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On top of the pool and beach, where the sea is calm and swimmable, the resort has an incredibly engaging kids program called Nature Discovery, where older kids can go sailing and mountain biking while younger kids can learn to sail and take kitesurfing lessons.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the kitchen, ingredients are sourced locally to reduce carbon footprint and maintain freshness.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
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To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Numb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numb. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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