bemusement
Also found in: Thesaurus.
be·muse
(bĭ-myo͞oz′)tr.v. be·mused, be·mus·ing, be·mus·es
1. To cause to be bewildered; confuse.
2. To occupy the attention of; absorb or engross: The book bemused him for days.
3. Usage Problem To cause to be mildly or wryly amused: "Unlike William McKinley, whose priggishness bemused him, Roosevelt had no compunctions about smoking cigars in public" (Joseph Conlin).
be·mus′ed·ly (-myo͞o′zĭd-lē) adv.
be·muse′ment n.
Usage Note: The word bemused is sometimes used to mean "amused, especially when finding something wryly funny," as in The stream of jokes from the comedian left the audience bemused, with some breaking out into guffaws. Most of the Usage Panel does not like this usage, with 78 percent rejecting this sentence in our 2005 survey. By contrast, 84 percent accepted a sentence in which bemused means "confused."
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun 1. [画像:bemusement - confusion resulting from failure to understand]bemusement - confusion resulting from failure to understand
confusedness, disarray, mental confusion, muddiness, confusion - a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior; "a confusion of impressions"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
bemusement
noun puzzlement, surprise, confusion, uncertainty, amazement, questioning, bewilderment, perplexity, bafflement, mystification, stupefaction, befuddlement A look of bemusement mixed with alarm spread across their faces.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
bemusement
nounThe condition of being so lost in solitary thought as to be unaware of one's surroundings:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005