nonplus

He found cross-examinations mentally invigorating, soon learned that he could nonplus storming attorneys if he kept smiling no matter how galling their insinuations.

From Time Magazine Archive

They were put to a nonplus, and summoned the Devil to their relief.

From A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume I by David Eugene Smith

Jupp was at a nonplus again; however, he tried to temporise with the mite, the more especially from his noticing that his little legs were quite mottled and his tiny fingers blue with cold.

From Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle by John C. (John Conroy) Hutcheson

Here was a nonplus, not without its comical side.

From Chivalry by James Branch Cabell

Even these hide and seek tactics did not long nonplus the "snipers"; their adaptability was equal to the occasion.

From The Siege of Kimberley by T. Phelan

In response to Mr. Zhao’s accusations, Mr. Bankman-Fried seemed nonplused.

From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2022

But even sophisticated cocktail consumers were nonplused by his pitch, so he switched to a more accessible product: applejack.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2021

Nguyen, 43, is delighted by the attention the script has received, even while sounding a little nonplused.

From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2020

And this, in turn, has left some of his peers nonplused — grumbling at what they see as a flimsy theory or bewildered as to why Harvard’s top astronomer won’t shut up about aliens.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2019

“I sure could use some lumber for my front porch,” he said, nonplused.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Collections by new designer Demna are going down well with American consumers, but shoppers everywhere else are nonplussed so far.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Durant appeared nonplussed by the spat, while admitting that he had deliberately taken a combative approach into the game.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

Ford, who died of natural causes at age 93 in 2006, was said to be nonplussed by Moore’s attempt on his life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025

But Rotem Naftalovich, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, one of the three researchers involved, said the US food regulator was nonplussed by the admittedly "wonky" idea.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025

“Thank you,” Ash said, nonplussed, for Lore had not seemed to be particularly interested in befriending her.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

Weaver, however, verged on nonplussing co-hosts Brian Williams and Rachel Maddow, as well as reporter Steve Kornacki, MSNBC's millennial version of CNN's king-of-the-"Magic Wall" John King.

From US News ● Apr. 20, 2016

He received visitors with the graciousness of the courteous head of a department, who resigns himself to listen to demands, allowing them to talk as he smiled faintly, and nonplussing them by his calmness.

From Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant

Dismissing this nonplussing phase, I turned to the subject of the gem once more.

From The Paternoster Ruby by Charles Edmonds Walk

Our higher officials are fond as a rule of nonplussing their subordinates; the methods to which they have recourse to attain that end are rather various.

From Fathers and Children by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

While his powers of discussion of a subject were great, the power that especially characterized him was that of nonplussing his antagonist with a snub or a sarcasm.

From The Brothers' War by John Calvin Reed