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

Before grandmother can visit, she is expected to be able to speak to her granddaughter in English — a request that bewilders and aggrieves her, but one that she cannot refuse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2024

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

"This repartee bewilders me and does not answer my question," declared Mrs. Forrester.

From The Secret Toll by Thorne, Paul And Mabel

Birds and other animals, bewildered by unforeseen night, start behaving strangely.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Young describes his childhood mostly from the perspective of a boy — alternately bewildered, hurting, depressed and “mad all the time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

The Boks blitzed into a 17-point lead inside 11 minutes with England bewildered by the pace, muscle and cohesion of the hosts.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Outside Ford’s Theatre, bewildered pedestrians joined the crowd of theater patrons and hovered near the front doors awaiting the president.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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

Yankees games appear on a bewildering array of channels and platforms—some free, most not.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

With a richer, more bewildering harmonic vocabulary, Chopin revealed the full spectrum of the nocturne’s possibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

She pulled it out; after the bewildering events of the past hour and the sudden intersection of her journey and the Current’s, it felt solid and familiar in her hands.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee