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bemused

 [bih-myoozd]   Example Sentences Origin

be·mused

   [bih-myoozd]
adjective
1.
bewildered or confused.
2.
lost in thought; preoccupied.
Origin:
1695–1705; bemuse + -ed2

Related forms
be·mus·ed·ly  [bih-myoo-zid-lee] , adverb
un·be·mused, adjective

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Bemused is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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Example Sentences
  • In her casual pantsuit, she could easily be mistaken for a bemused tourist.
  • I'm amused and even a bit bemused by all the excitement.
  • The charges have elicited bemused and befuddled reactions from many.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

be·muse

   [bih-myooz]
verb (used with object), -mused, -mus·ing.
to bewilder or confuse (someone).
Origin:
1695–1705; be- + muse

Related forms
be·muse·ment, noun

Can be confused: amuse, bemuse (see synonym note at amuse).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bemused
Collins
World English Dictionary
bemused (bɪˈmjuːzd)
 
—adj
preoccupied; lost in thought
 
bemusedly
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bemuse
"to make utterly confused," from be- + muse (cf. amuse), attested from 1735 but probably older, as Pope (1705) punned on it as "devoted utterly to the Muses."
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bemused
1735, pp. adj. from bemuse (q.v.).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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