bewilder

bewilder — verb

1. to make someone feel mentally lost and unable to think clearly because too many

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to make someone feel mentally lost and unable to think clearly because too many things are happening or something is hard to understand.

Example

The map on the phone bewildered Kenji when every street name changed.

bewilder + person as object

Visitors were bewildered by the flashing signs and six ticket machines.

passive: be bewildered by + noun

Common collocations
  • completely bewildered
  • bewildered by the change
  • bewildered visitors
  • bewilder the children
  • leave someone bewildered
Synonyms
  • confuse

    the broad everyday word; 'bewilder' suggests a stronger feeling of being mentally lost

  • puzzle

    often suggests trying to work something out, not simply feeling overwhelmed

  • baffle

    usually stronger, with emphasis on being unable to explain something

  • perplex

    more formal, often used in writing or careful discussion

Antonyms
  • clarify

    to make something easier to understand instead of causing confusion

  • guide

    to help someone know what to do or where to go, rather than leaving them lost

Grammar Patterns

bewilder + somebody

be bewildered by + something

be bewildered at + seeing/hearing something

Usage Note

Often used in passive forms such as be bewildered by. The cause is usually a situation, a sudden change, or too much information, rather than a person speaking directly.

Common Mistakes

I bewildered about the form.
I was bewildered by the form.
use the passive to describe the person who feels confused.
The children bewildered the puzzle.
The puzzle bewildered the children.
the confusing thing is the subject, and the affected person is the object.

Word family

  • bewildered
    adjectiveC1
  • bewildering
    adjectiveC1
  • bewilderment
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Confuse' is the general everyday word and can describe anything from a small mistake to a serious misunderstanding. 'Bewilder' is stronger: it suggests that a person feels mentally lost because there is too much to take in or something changes in a way they cannot follow. 'Puzzle' often keeps the idea of trying to solve the problem. 'Baffle' is close to 'bewilder' but often stresses complete failure to explain something. 'Perplex' is more formal and is common in careful writing. Compare: 'The bus map confused me for a minute.' 'The airport signs bewildered the tourists.' 'The scientist was baffled by the test results.'

bewilder ↗confuse ↗puzzle ↗baffle ↗perplex

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be bewildered by
  • look bewildered
  • leave someone bewildered

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Bewilder was formed in English in the late 1600s. It joins the prefix be-, meaning 'thoroughly', with an old verb wilder, meaning 'lead astray' or 'wander off'. The original image is of a person losing the path and not knowing where to go. Later the idea moved from physical direction to the mind, giving the modern meaning of making someone feel lost in thought.