bemusement

noun

Definition of bemusementnext
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty an expression of utter bemusement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bemusement Skipping inside, Nora joins a cadre of shambling interns whom the editorial staff regard with a mixture of bemusement and disdain. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026 Erika looks on with the malevolent bemusement of a college cheerleader coming back to homecoming to judge her old high school squad. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026 Just across the street from the Golf Course Terrace home, a few Bermuda grass lawns had actual weeds sprouting up — a source of bemusement for the homeowner. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026 But there was a kind of bemusement with our fascination with the Wild West and our fixation on cowboys, and a sense that America has gone off the rails. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 While not a good show by any stretch of the imagination — and there are many stretches to be made here — the Netflix series does manage to conjure so-bad-its-good bemusement. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 June 2026 The Professional can certainly be understood as a nonlinear narrative of an artist on the peripheries of music, navigating a world far from home with equal parts amusement and bemusement. — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026 To friends and strangers alike, our unusual authorly posture—two spouses, both with academic backgrounds but neither presently working in academia, teaming up to write a trade book on a literary subject—is a source of bemusement. — Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 Originally greeted with bemusement, Pratt is now upending the race with early voting underway ahead of the June 2 election. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemusement
  1. confusion
  2. fog
  3. bewilderment
  4. bafflement
Noun
  • Election experts have said many instances of noncitizens registering to vote are a result of administrative error or confusion on the part of the immigrant — not intentional criminality.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The confusion unfolded as a steady stream of women’s half-marathon runners crossed the finish line.
    — Vivian Yao, Baltimore Sun, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of confusion
Noun
  • Loose white sand blew into the air and whirled around at the edge of the sea like a fog.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Tigers’ entourage, scheduled to appear here for SEC Basketball Media Day, could not take off due to the fog, grounding them for their session, the league announced.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of fog
Noun
  • Religion, fear, prejudice, affection, money, family history, and bewilderment can crowd the same room.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There are four of us on staff at The Verge actively testing Googlebooks and, frankly, our internal Slack discussions have been mostly filled with collective venting of frustrations, disappointments, and bewilderment.
    — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bewilderment
Noun
  • Bartiromo’s former colleagues and friends talked about her MAGA transformation with bafflement and disappointment.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Elliott was also mispegged as a folk singer during his lifetime, to his own bafflement; his music has a pop architecture that runs deep, and an architecture that goes deeper than that is purely, idiosyncratically Elliott.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of bafflement

Browse Nearby Words

bemused
bemusement
bemusements
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Cite this Entry

“Bemusement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemusement. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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