Bewilder Definition, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：confuse thoroughly (bewilder)

bewilder 🔊

/bɪˈwɪldər/

vt.

To make someone feel very confused and unable to understand what's happening.

Bewildered person lost in a maze, confused expression

confuse thoroughly 🔊

➕

/kənˈfjuːz ˈθʌrəli/

vt.

To make someone feel completely confused and unable to think clearly or understand what is happening.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Prefix 'be-' (intensive) + 'wilder' (to lose one's way), from Old English 'wilder' meaning to go astray in a wilderness.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine 'be wilder' – being in a wild, unknown forest, completely lost and confused.

📖 Example

On his first day in the huge city, the complex subway map bewildered him completely. 🔊 On his first day in the huge city, the complex subway map bewildered him completely.

🔗 Collocations

bewilder someone with something – To confuse someone by using something complicated or unfamiliar.

be bewildered by – To be in a state of confusion because of something.

utterly bewildered – Completely confused and unable to understand.

🔄 Synonyms

perplex (vt.) – To cause someone to feel completely baffled or puzzled.

baffle (vt.) – To totally confuse or frustrate someone by being too difficult to understand.

confound (vt.) – To cause someone to become confused or surprised, often by being unexpected.

🚫 Antonyms

enlighten (vt.) – To give someone greater knowledge or understanding about something.

clarify (vt.) – To make something easier to understand by explaining it more clearly.

orient (vt.) – To help someone find their way or understand a new situation.

🌱 Derivatives

bewildered (adj.) – Feeling or showing complete confusion.

bewildering (adj.) – Causing a feeling of confusion; extremely confusing.

bewilderingly (adv.) – In a way that causes confusion or perplexity.

📖 Cultural Story

From Middle English 'bīwilderen', combining 'be-' and 'wilder' (to lose one's way), originally meaning to lead into a wild, confusing place. First recorded in the 17th century.