bemused

adjective

be·mused bi-ˈmyüzd

bē-

Synonyms of bemused next

: marked by confusion or bewilderment : dazed

… he was fumbling with the sheets, and looking down at them with a slightly bemused expression as though the stuff before him was in a foreign language …—

Robert Penn Warren

: lost in thought or reverie

… as distant and bemused as a Professor Emeritus listening to the prattling of his freshman class.—

Michael Straight

: having or showing feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing

This is not another of those now popular books about a bemused outsider's sojourn in rural France, brimming with colorful locals and heart-warming anecdotes.—

J. D. McClatchy

bemusedly

bi-ˈmyü-zəd-lē

bē-

adverb

Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose. —

J. K. Rowling

Examples of bemused in a Sentence

new federal regulations that the easily bemused should make no attempt to read and understand

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Wallis said he was disappointed about the switch and a little bemused since he’s used to cold at home. —

Michelle L. Price and Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025 Hearing his sentence, Mr. Trump – just over a week away from his inauguration – appeared bemused and defiant, delivering a five-minute address to the court before the judge handed down his sentence. —

Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jan. 2025 Mike Piazza still seems bemused by the twists of fate in 1998 and beyond that have turned him into a franchise icon. —

Jerry Beach, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024 The Beatles themselves can only offer bemused waves and baffled chuckles. —

Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bemused