Crossword Dictionary
bewildered
Perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with awe and wonder
Synonyms
astonished, befuddled, dazzled, perplexed, stunned
About
If a conversation about quantum mechanics leaves you feeling bewildered, or lost and befuddled, don't feel bad: physics is a baffling and confusing subject.
Be- + wildered = "thoroughly gone astray, into the wild," which is pretty much what our minds do when we don't understand something, when we don't even come close to understanding it. If you're bewildered, you are confused on a whole new level. You may even find your confusion confusing. Great synonyms for this word include at sea, bemused, confounded, and mixed-up.
bewilder
bewilder, maze, wilder, bewilders, bewildered, bewildering - v
to confuse
synonyms
addle, baffle, bamboozle, beat, befog, befuddle, bemuse, buffalo, confound, confuse, discombobulate, disorient, flummox, fox, fuddle, get, gravel, maze, muddle, muddy, mystify, perplex, pose, puzzle, vex
in a sentence
the change in policy seems to have bewildered many of our customers
Nowadays, a lady who offered the back of her hand to a gentleman would only bewilder him.
High fashion, for most people, is a passing blur of bewildering, ever-shifting, sometimes ridiculous seasonal image statements.
etymology
1680s, "confuse as to direction or situation," also, figuratively, "perplex, puzzle, confuse," from be- "thoroughly" + archaic wilder "lead astray, lure into the wilds," which is probably a back-formation from wilderness. An earlier word with the same sense was bewhape (early 14c.) and there is a 17c. use of bewhatle.