BEMUSE Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

bemuse

verb

bi-ˈmyüz

Definition of bemuse

as in to interest

to hold the attention of a public that seemed more bemused by the shenanigans of celebrities than by a war being waged half a world away

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to bewilder

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the stage mishap momentarily bemused the actress

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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 bemuse Needless to say, Ben Shelton (who ended up winning the men’s event) and his opponent Karen Khachanov were bemused by the interruption. — Max Gao, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2025 Audiences bemused, delighted, hoodwinked theatrically, hoodwinked for real. — Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025 Cue a wave of gags in which Hank is bemused by everything from boba to hybrid-car engines to all-gender bathrooms. — Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025 Kylie — who was also in attendance at the taping, appeared utterly bemused by the life-sized re-creation of her children’s drawing. — Toria Sheffield, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bemuse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemuse

Verb

If those sorts of things interest you, the paper will be great.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
Businesses too small to interest a Wall Street desk can transfer a specific risk to someone willing to price it.

— Brian Quintenz, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of interest

Verb

That’s a common sentiment from a touring superstar, but there’s a sense that Kahan really might be as happily bewildered as the rest of us about how songs this personal and cloudy came to captivate even sunny California.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
The threats are constantly evolving, layering upon themselves with bewildering speed.

— Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of bewilder

Verb

When some of his friends became smokejumpers, he was intrigued.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Yet some European philosophers were intrigued by the monism of Vedanta philosophy, whereas Evangelical Christians saw the same monism as a foundation for proselytizing Christian monotheism.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of intrigue

Verb

The question fascinated David Hilbert, a renowned mathematician who had devoted much of his life to rebuilding physics on a sturdy foundation of crisp axioms.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
QAnon haunts Washington I’m particularly fascinated by the ghost of QAnon – how the theory continues to haunt politics today.

— Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of fascinate

Verb

Netanyahu’s hard-line government has been accused of turning a blind eye to the settler attacks in the West Bank, which many governments around the world consider illegally occupied.

— F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
But no one has lived in the house since 2010, when it was occupied by architects Sirkka and Robert Damora for about five decades after the Booths.

— Nora DeLigter, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of occupy

Verb

The scene never fails to baffle the senses as the path rises up about a thousand feet from the valley floor.

— Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
She is baffled by the way her friends Moe and Fumina rail against their parents, especially when Yuko is always holding back at home, forever walking on eggshells.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of baffle

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bemoans

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bemused

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“Bemuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemuse. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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