bemused
Americanadjective
-
bewildered or confused.
a bemused expression on his face.
-
lost in thought; preoccupied.
-
mildly amused, especially in a detached way.
adjective
Commonly Confused
See bemuse.
Other Word Forms
- bemusedly adverb
- unbemused adjective
Etymology
Origin of bemused
Compare meaning
How does bemused compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If you're bemused, you're muddled or preoccupied. It happens when you're lost in thought, dazed, or overwhelmed (say, on the first day of high school). Find the word "muse" inside bemused and imagine being under the spell of one of the muses of Greek mythology. You're so inspired to write poetry that you can't keep your mind on work or remember how to get home. Or think Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester, or another cartoon character staggering off with a vague smile after getting hit over the head by a frying pan and you'll grasp the meaning of a bemused expression.
Vocabulary lists containing bemused
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s bemused in retrospect by the strange spectacle of a “little white boy in short trousers” frolicking with a Black man old enough to be his father.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
He was bemused that he didn’t need a ticket to retrieve his vehicle from the valet at San Vicente Bungalows because, well, he’s Colman Domingo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
It was three minutes until kick-off and the Carabao Cup holders were desperate to get going as a bemused Kieran Trippier looked around and wondered where his counterparts from Manchester City were.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
Meloni herself left a bemused comment on Instagram next to her supposed likeness, saying: "No, decidedly I do not resemble an angel."
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
At the end of a day, I was often bemused, always relieved, to realize how ‘silent,’ though crowded with words, my day in public had been.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
