numbed 1 of 2

adjective

as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling numbed fingers that needed warming by the fire

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

numbed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of numb
as in dulled
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling wait for the medication to numb your mouth

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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 numbed
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 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
Verb
Damon’s Odysseus is numbed by the massacre of Troy’s civilians; Fiennes’ hates himself for leading the best men of Ithaca to their death, gutting his own community in the heedless destruction of another. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Our team reports that as people emerge from the life-or-death struggle for survival, which eclipsed all thought and numbed sensations, their trauma is transforming into a stunned grief. — James Gordon, Time, 14 July 2026 After ensuring the donor area is properly numbed, the medical team will remove individual hair grafts one by one with tiny punches. — Ethan Stone, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026 At the urgent care unit, the area was numbed and a small incision was made. — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbed
  1. numb
  2. dulled
  3. asleep
  4. reduced
  5. blunted
  6. subsided
  7. diminished
  8. deadened
Adjective
  • When the old man dies, her numb reaction appears caught between grief and relief, though her two adult sons show little understanding of her emotional state.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Be sure to start below the injury and wrap upward, overlapping each layer but never so tightly that fingers or toes become numb or painful.
    — Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of numb
Verb
  • The sparkle in her eyes had dulled and her smile seemed forced.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Decades of scrolling have dulled our senses somewhat; this is inevitable.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dulled
Adjective
  • Since staterooms are clustered closely together, keeping voices down in hallways—especially late at night—shows consideration for neighbors who may already be asleep.
    — Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Video appears to show the operator asleep moments before the collision.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of asleep
Verb
  • Newcastle end the window with the squad’s average age and wage bill significantly reduced.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Households reduced fuel consumption due to elevated prices owed to the Middle East conflict, and cut domestic and international travel.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • The defeat blunted Baltimore's bid to make some progress in the crowded race for the final AL wild-card spot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Exports flowing from Saudi ports have blunted some of the impact of the Strait of Hormuz closure.
    — Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of blunted
Verb
  • Though impending rainstorms are likely to make rescue operations more difficult, officials say a previous threat from a lake that had formed on the border between Nepal and Tibet has substantially subsided.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Opinion ​polls gave the king firm backing to stay on for life, however, and the criticism subsided.
    — Terje Solsvik, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of subsided
Verb
  • Inside one, the individual is both multiplied and diminished.
    — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The persuasiveness of these efforts, however, is diminished when a WRO is modified without transparency and despite readily accessible evidence indicating that conditions for the workers have not truly improved.
    — Charity Ryerson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminished
Verb
  • Exposing the dental pulp and cleaning out the cavity’s contents also would have deadened the nerves and blood vessels there, leading to pain relief, Zubova said.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
  • Merrill had the same impulse—the need to become a self not necessarily free of all that money could buy but not crippled or deadened by it, either.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Definition of deadened

Browse Nearby Words

numb
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Cite this Entry

“Numbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbed. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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