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

Figuring out what metrics make a streaming show successful can bewilder fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2023

Actually, it’s far, far worse than that because AT maps—for reasons that bewilder me beyond speculation—provide less detail than even their meager scale allows.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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

Our needless tangle of furnishing bewilders those who still think the flowers that grow of themselves in the Irish thatch more beautiful than anything under the cover of our prosaic shingled roofs.

From Strangers and Wayfarers by Sarah Orne Jewett

At first, I was pleasantly surprised, if a little bewildered because of who they came from.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Still, some U.S. business executives said they are bewildered by the legal justification for the new global tariff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

So I am a bit bewildered as pundits declare that the success of “The Odyssey” reflects some larger theme about what film audiences want.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

"When I first found out about it, I was slightly bewildered, if I'm being honest," said McCullum of the breach.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

When the other, completely bewildered, had gone off in his boat, the girl returned to her own shape.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

One of the more bewildering primary results of the year came this week in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, a swing seat currently represented by Democratic freshman Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 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

So how can Labour escape this new bewildering world of pain?

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

From New York to Virginia, American intelligence operatives like Armistead were bewildering the British.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen