nonplus
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to render utterly perplexed by something unexpected; puzzle completely.
He nonplussed his questioners by answering in riddles.
- Synonyms:
- disconcert, confound, confuse, perplex
-
to cause to feel indifferent, calm, or unexcited.
The shoppers were entirely nonplussed by the disturbance in the street, continuing to gaze at window displays as they strolled along.
noun
verb
noun
Usage
See nonplussed ( def. ).
Etymology
Origin of nonplus
First recorded in 1575–85; (noun) from Latin nōn plūs literally, “not more, no further,” that is, a state in which nothing more can be done
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 found cross-examinations mentally invigorating, soon learned that he could nonplus storming attorneys if he kept smiling no matter how galling their insinuations.
From Time Magazine Archive
It happened most fortunately that there were a number of Chippewayan Indians encamped on the spot at the time, else we should have been completely at a nonplus.
From Notes of a Twenty-Five Years' Service in the Hudson's Bay Territory Volume II. by M'lean, John
Though to distinguish beasts of prey A novice might nonplus; Yet from the Crocodile you may Tell the Hyena, thus: 'Tis the Hyena if it smile; If weeping, 'tis the Crocodile.
From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney
Here was a nonplus, not without its comical side.
From Chivalry by Cabell, James Branch
Here was a nonplus, not perhaps without its comical side.
From Chivalry by Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green
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.
