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

Here was a nonplus, not without its comical side.

From Chivalry by James Branch Cabell

It happened most fortunately that there were a number of Chippewayan Indians encamped on the spot at the time, else we should have been completely at a nonplus.

From Notes of a Twenty-Five Years' Service in the Hudson's Bay Territory Volume II. by John M'lean

The small boy hesitated, plainly at a nonplus.

From The Dop Doctor by Richard Dehan

But at times some extremely artless animadversions are heard that almost nonplus us.

From Popular scientific lectures by Ernst Mach

Leigh Rosser was similarly nonplused while describing his biggest challenge as design fabrication lead.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

A genial man in person, Mr. Connick appeared nonplused in his later years over a reputation that had been severely tainted.

From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2024

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

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

It featured Evan, Anthony and Zachary performing a rendition of Hilary Duff’s “What Dreams Are Made Of” before a crowd of nonplussed seniors, while Darshan danced along next to them on a laptop screen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

Currencies, bonds, and stocks appeared to be nonplussed.

From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026

"This is how I'd do it if I was DJ," he tells a group of nonplussed staff as dance music strains at his laptop speakers.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

I was further nonplussed by a bizarre incident at a large end-of-summer meet.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024

I was nonplussed, and I blurted out that I was astounded that he could not see himself how damnably false this story was.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

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

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

The question was awkward, nonplussing Jerky, and, the second time, calling for explanation from his sister; who, however, promptly vouchsafed it.

From No Quarter! by Mayne Reid

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