bewilder

The absurdist’s power rests in their ability to befuddle and bewilder, trusting the joke will land with the right folks and insult their target’s intelligence.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

Essential to a wilderness is its capacity to bewilder, and though certain of Church’s colleagues in the Hudson River group, notably Worthington Whittredge, brilliantly captured this dense, enfolding quality, Church seldom did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

If the soul of Leif Erikson were to materialize inside his statue for a day, much of what he saw would bewilder him.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2023

Modern songwriting is highly collaborative in a way that seems to bewilder some folks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2022

Bond market terminology was designed less to convey meaning than to bewilder outsiders.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The variety of goals that the Japanese striker scores is astonishing, but all of them have one thing in common - speed of thought that bewilders the unfortunates tasked with the job of marking him.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2023

Basra continually bewilders experts, envoys and residents: How can a relatively stable province so rich in resources rank among the poorest and most under-developed in the country?

From Washington Times ● Mar. 24, 2023

Basra continually bewilders experts, envoys and residents: How can a relatively stable province so rich in resources rank among the poorest and most underdeveloped in the country?

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2023

In Herman Melville’s 1853 short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” a Wall Street clerk bewilders his manager by politely refusing to do basic tasks, including leaving the office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2022

The very glimpse of that vision bewilders the mind.

From What You Can Do With Your Will Power by Russell H. Conwell

Since the entire brand of America’s foremost tastemaker is to discern the good things from tackiness, the debacle has bewildered longtime fans.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

As the car rumbled along, she felt "bewildered, but also a little bit excited".

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Mejia and Rector spoke to some of the accused immigrants and their families swept up by “Operation Protect the Vote,” who were bewildered as to what they had done wrong and why the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Other times, I was interviewing believers and, more often, their bewildered loved ones.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

He waited for a moment for a bewildered Hans to open it for him, and then left, his soldiers following him.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Planning a trip, which confronts would-be travelers with a bewildering array of decisions and reservations to nail down, is one of their most promising functions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

Although there weren’t many of them numerically, the errors that the A.I. did make were confusing and bewildering enough to be disqualifying.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

At one point, amid the bewildering turmoil, one of the Politburo members simply shakes his head and says: “I’ve had nightmares that made more sense than this.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

While border officials contact authorities nationwide to verify the identity of those who don't have any form of ID, the process for newly arrived Afghans can be bewildering.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

The marshes were bewildering and treacherous, and there was no permanent trail even for Rangers to find through their shifting quagmires.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien