Standard Lemma guide

nonplus

noun · 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: /nɒnˈplʌs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌnɑnˈplʌs/
  • rhymes with -ʌs

1

noun

Meaning 1

A state of bewilderment or perplexity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To bewilder or perplex (someone); to confound, to flummox.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

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, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, gravel, amaze, dumbfound

Antonyms: none provided

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

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

History

Etymology

The noun is derived from Latin nōn plūs (“no further, no more”), from nōn (“not”) + plūs (“additionally, more; further”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh1- (“to fill”)). The verb is derived from the noun.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: обърквам (obǎrkvam) — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Bulgarian: затруднявам (zatrudnjavam) — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使困惑 — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Czech: zaskočit — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Finnish: hämmentää — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Finnish: saattaa ymmälle — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Finnish: askarruttaa — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • German: verwirren — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • German: verdutzen — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • German: verblüffen — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Greek: μπερδεύω (berdévo) — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Greek: σαστίζω (sastízo) — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Hungarian: meghökkent — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Hungarian: elképeszt — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Māori: whakahēhē — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Polish: konsternować — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Polish: skonsternować — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Portuguese: pasmar — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Russian: озадачивать (ozadačivatʹ) — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Russian: запутывать (zaputyvatʹ) — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Spanish: confundir — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Spanish: desconcertar — to bewilder or perplex (someone)
  • Spanish: perplejar — to bewilder or perplex (someone)