bemused

adjective

be·mused bi-ˈmyüzd

bē-

Synonyms of bemused next

: marked by confusion or bewilderment : dazed

… he was fumbling with the sheets, and looking down at them with a slightly bemused expression as though the stuff before him was in a foreign language …—

Robert Penn Warren

: lost in thought or reverie

… as distant and bemused as a Professor Emeritus listening to the prattling of his freshman class.—

Michael Straight

: having or showing feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing

This is not another of those now popular books about a bemused outsider's sojourn in rural France, brimming with colorful locals and heart-warming anecdotes.—

J. D. McClatchy

bemusedly

bi-ˈmyü-zəd-lē

bē-

adverb

Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose. —

J. K. Rowling

Examples of bemused in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The character who comes off looking like a hero here is Jerry, a model antiracist who seems bemused by Willie’s flamboyance. —

Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2023 Also rounding out our fantastic cast is Peter Serafinowicz playing Reginald Smith, a slightly bemused businessman visiting Mrs Tweedy’s giant nugget factory. —

Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2023 Riordan, bemused, merely shrugged and turned his attention to others at the event. —

James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2023 King’s stance thus became a sort of bemused indifference toward the results in adapting his books and stories, expressing his contentment to trust filmmakers, hope for the best and not sweat how things turned out thereafter. —

Brian Lowry, CNN, 11 Aug. 2023 In Lee’s pictures, the young soldiers of the National Guard appear bemused, with Newark’s landscape stretching out before them like a foreign war zone. —

M. Z. Adnan, The New Yorker, 29 July 2023 In the clip, which begins zoomed in on Lively's bemused expression, the 35-year-old actor is wearing a padded-shoulder blazer and matching trousers with a white tank top. —

Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 July 2023 By the fifth day of camp, some medical volunteers still appeared slightly bemused by the enthusiasm of their patients, particularly as temperatures climbed. —

Emily Cochrane, BostonGlobe.com, 1 July 2023 But Huston plays her almost academic concern for them with sincere, if bemused, care. —

Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bemused.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.