BEWILDERMENT Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

bewilderment

noun

bi-ˈwil-dər-mənt

Definition of bewilderment

as in confusion

a state of mental uncertainty the slightest change in her daily routine leaves her in complete bewilderment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 bewilderment And Bericoto, to the bewilderment of everyone, put his head down and started jogging to second, apparently thinking Haase had struck out. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 30 June 2026 Many of these terms were meant as insults and were – and remain today – tremendously rude, but others reflect the bewilderment of trying to categorize people who don’t fit into standard categories easily. — Ky Merkley, The Conversation, 15 June 2026 Suzanna waits for hours in the bank’s vestibule—that practical but indeterminate space shielding the true interior from the intemperate outdoors—much to the bewilderment of the young security guard perched on a stool nearby. — Laura Miller, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026 His castmate Geena Davis expressed her own bewilderment at the cancellation to Deadline’s sister publication, The Hollywood Reporter, earlier this week. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bewilderment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bewilderment

Noun

Even though talks with the Boston Red Sox at last year’s deadline never got close, the confusion provided by an incorrect tweet announcing Ryan’s trade to New England put the pitcher at the top of every trade list before the season even began.

— Dan Hayes, New York Times, 6 July 2026
There have been confusion and contradictions in the lead up to the visit over accommodation arrangements for the Sussex family.

— Max Foster, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Definition of confusion

Browse Nearby Words

bewildering

bewilderment

bewilderments

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bewilderment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bewilderment. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bewilderment

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on bewilderment

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes