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bewilder

[bih-wil-der]

Example Sentences Origin

verb (used with object)

to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex: These shifting attitudes bewilder me.

Origin:
1675–85; be- + wilder (v.)

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Bewilder is one of our favorite verbs.

So is kibitz. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

chat, to converse

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Example Sentences

Together they manage to excite and bewilder practically all concerned.

Academic homonyms bewilder prospective students and bookies alike.

Others have portrayed aimless young dudes who may bewilder people from countries who don't have a surplus of such.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

bewilder (bɪˈwɪldə)

—vb
1.	to confuse utterly; puzzle
2.	archaic to cause to become lost

[C17: see be-, wilder]

bewilderment

—n

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

bewilder

1680s, from be- "thoroughly" + archaic wilder "lead astray, lure into the wilds," probably a back-formation of wilderness. An earlier word with the same sense was bewhape (early 14c.). Related: Bewildering.

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Matching Quote

"Nobody who has any kind of creative imagination can possibly be anything but disappointed with real life.... Of course, you could always argue that you live more intensely in your mental world-substitute than we who only wallow in the real thing.... But the trouble is that you can't be content to stick to your beautiful ersatz. You have to descend into evening clothes and Ciro's and chorus girls—and perhaps even politics ... with lamentable results. Because you're not at home with these lumpy bits of matter. They depress you, they bewilder you, they shock you and sicken you and make a fool of you."

-Aldous Huxley

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bewilder

be·wil·der