variants
also nonplused
as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
the self-possessed actress seemed uncharacteristically nonplussed after the director's harsh appraisal of her performance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also nonplused
as in embarrassed
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
I was nonplussed by his openly expressed admiration of me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nonplussed
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025
Paris — As all eyes turned to the Louvre after last month’s shocking jewel heist, one especially stylish figure on the museum grounds caught the internet’s attention: a sharply dressed man, wearing a fedora tilted just so, standing coolly next to some nonplussed police officers.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2025
Wole looked nonplussed but said goodbye to those around him.
—David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, lets McCartney off the hook for a rare bad press moment in which McCartney appears nonplussed discussing Lennon’s murder to the media.
—Caleb Hammond, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonplussed
Adjective
After the Hateful Eight filmmaker accused author Suzanne Collins of copying the Japanese novel and movie Battle Royale when writing the first installment of her young adult sci-fi novel series, Hutcherson appeared nonplussed by Tarantino's remarks.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonplussed
Adjective
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Those late audits have caused ongoing comments by engaged residents who are perplexed that year after year the town’s government is not able to provide the same audit the state’s other 168 municipalities complete and submit to the public and the state’s budget office.—
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Pittman seemed perplexed as to what caused the seemingly uninspired performance.—
Verb
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French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.—
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The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Adjective
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Looking aghast, Kylie couldn’t help but go silent with a baffled expression for several seconds.—
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Thousands of commenters responded with laughter, surprise, and sympathy for the dog’s baffled expression.—
Verb
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The Farmers’ Almanac will be gone for good after its final 2026 edition, not to be confused with The Old Farmer's Almanac, a separate publication.—
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Blue Origin also launches New Shepard from Texas The New Glenn spacecraft is not to be confused with Blue Origin's much smaller New Shepard rocket that the company launches from West Texas on brief trips taking paying passengers high above Earth's atmosphere.—
Adjective
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Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.—
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Instead, a bewildered stranger answers the door.—
Verb
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The run-in may have been awkward on-screen, but Franceschini wasn't flustered.—
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The Cougars present a versatile scheme that has flustered many offenses this season.—
Cite this Entry
“Nonplussed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonplussed. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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