Standard Lemma guide

bewilder

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /bɪˈwɪldə(ɹ)/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /bɪˈwɪldɚ/
  • rhymes with -ɪldə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH0 W IH1 L D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • All the different possible options may bewilder us.
  • Don’t push me into that maze and bewilder me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: befuddle, addle, baffle, vex, lose, embroil, stick, stump, baffound, bamboozle, bedevil, throw, bemud, bemuse, bewilder, bumfuzzle, complicate, confound, confuddle, confuse, confuzzle, dazzle, discombobulate, disconcert, blind, dumbfound, entangle, ferhoodle, flabagast, flabbergast, flabbergaster, flurry, fluster, flummox, fuddle, jumble, knot, mix up, muddle, muddy, ravel, perplex, puzzle

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

be a mystery or bewildering to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This beats me!
  • Got me--I don't know the answer!
  • a vexing problem
  • This question really stuck me

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: confuse, throw, fox, befuddle, fuddle, bedevil, confound, discombobulate

Narrower terms: stump, mix up, riddle, elude, escape

3

verb

Meaning 3

cause to be confused emotionally

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bemuse, discombobulate, throw

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: upset, discompose, untune, disconcert, discomfit

History

Etymology

From be- (prefix used as an intensifier) + wilder (“to lead astray; to go astray, wander”).

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: يُربك — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Arabic: يُحيّر — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Azerbaijani: karıxdırmaq — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Bulgarian: обърквам (obǎrkvam) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Bulgarian: озадачавам (ozadačavam) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Bulgarian: смущавам (smuštavam) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Czech: dezorientovat — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Czech: zmást — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Finnish: eksyttää — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Finnish: hämmentää — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Finnish: harhauttaa — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Finnish: sekoittaa — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • French: abasourdir — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • French: confondre — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • French: déconcerter — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • French: dérouter — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • French: désorienter — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • German: verwirren — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • German: durcheinanderbringen — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Greek: σαστίζω (sastízo) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Greek: μπερδεύω (berdévo) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Greek: ζαλίζω (zalízo) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Hungarian: zavarba hoz — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Ido: konfuzeskar — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Interlingua: confuser — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Interlingua: inbrolliar — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Italian: confondere — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Italian: disorientare — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Italian: sconcertare — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Macedonian: збу́ни (zbúni) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Norwegian: forvirre — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Polish: zdumiewać — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Polish: zdumieć — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Polish: oszałamiać — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Polish: oszołomić — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Polish: konsternować — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Polish: skonsternować — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Portuguese: confundir — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Portuguese: desconcertar — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Portuguese: desorientar — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Romanian: dezorienta — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Russian: смуща́ть (smuščátʹ) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Russian: ста́вить в тупик (stávitʹ v tupik) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Russian: сбива́ть с толку (sbivátʹ s tolku) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Russian: приводи́ть в замеша́тельство (privodítʹ v zamešátelʹstvo) — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Serbo-Croatian: dezorijentírati — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Serbo-Croatian: smȅsti — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Serbo-Croatian: zbúniti — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Slovak: pomotať — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Slovak: zmiasť — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Slovak: dezorientovať — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Spanish: confundir — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Spanish: desconcertar — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Spanish: pasmar — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone
  • Swedish: förbrylla — to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone