stupefy

verb

ˈstü-pə-ˌfī How to pronounce stupefy (audio)
Definition of stupefynext
as in to amaze
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected stupefied by the ruling that he could not compete because he missed the qualifying age by two days

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 stupefy The Miami Hurricanes are at home, while the entire state of Indiana – save for some in West Lafayette – is content to abandon their homes to enjoy this unexpectedly stupefying playoff march. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026 British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, who wandered the Amazon for 22 years at the beginning of the 20th century before vanishing without a trace, wrote that the breath of the anaconda stupefied its prey. — Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026 Dark times shade even darker, and yet through it all, in ways both uplifting and stupefying, life goes on. — Julia Hass, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025 Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone‘s doom-laden black comedy-thriller Bugonia stupefied and delighted the Venice Film Festival on Thursday night, drawing a rousing six-minute standing ovation after its world premiere inside the Italian water city’s Sala Grande cinema. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stupefy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stupefy
  1. amaze
  2. stun
  3. surprise
  4. astonish
  5. startle
  6. shock
Verb
  • Larry remarks, amazed all these years later by this odd before-they-were-stars encounter.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • What amazes me is there seems to be a wide swath of Michiganders who don’t seem to mind being lied to.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of amaze
Verb
  • View gallery - 7 images Chinese automotive giant BYD, now the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) maker, stunned this week’s Paris Motor Show with its grandest and most technologically impressive vehicle yet.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The man was arrested and sent to prison while Ali was in college, which left the actor stunned.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of stun
Verb
  • Some Republicans aren’t surprised by the backseat role Musk has taken.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Viewers will be surprised by how many clues are in the first two episodes, Backo explains.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of surprise
Verb
  • Regardless, attention is the tool by which artificial neural networks access and convey meaning, association, and context, often well enough to astonish us with their fluency.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Less than a month after astonishing the world with its solution to the long-standing Navier-Stokes problem, OpenAI has released 722 maths papers, proving or disproving problems across numerous fields from algebraic geometry to number theory.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of astonish
Verb
  • The parents admit to some corporal punishment, but of a mild sort—the kind that might startle a child but which wouldn’t do bodily harm.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026
  • However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of startle
Verb
  • The couple had previously seen a single owl on an apartment windowsill a few days earlier and were shocked even then, Williams recalled.
    — Joseph B. Frederick, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • What shocked him was how unregulated—and unsophisticated—the rental market seemed.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of shock

Browse Nearby Words

stupefies
stupefy
stupefying
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Cite this Entry

“Stupefy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stupefy. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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