bewilder

[bih-wil-der] /bɪˈwɪl dər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to confuse or puzzle completely; perplex:
These shifting attitudes bewilder me.
Origin
1675-85; be- + wilder (v.)
Synonyms
mystify, nonplus, confuse, daze, confound, stagger, muddle.
Examples from the web for bewilder
  • Together they manage to excite and bewilder practically all concerned.
  • Academic homonyms bewilder prospective students and bookies alike.
  • Still, there will be plenty of others with the skills to bewilder and beguile.
  • The many facets of characterization and the varied steps required to express them could bewilder dancers.
  • Icons of flame and rubble made no sense to me, and there was enough smoke in the air to bewilder anyone.
  • Whatever the intention, the campaign's conclusion seemed to bewilder politicians as much as its beginning.
  • At its highest level, wine can bewitch and bewilder, transfix and inspire.
  • Stimulate and bewilder us, frustrate and entertain us.
  • Unavoidably, some of the information may conflict with others and bewilder the public.
  • They affect to appeal wholly to reason, and bewilder themselves in the miserable snare of materialism.
British Dictionary definitions for bewilder

bewilder

/bɪˈwɪldə/
verb (transitive)
1.
to confuse utterly; puzzle
2.
(archaic) to cause to become lost
Derived Forms
bewilderment, noun
Word Origin
C17: see be-, wilder
Word Origin and History for bewilder
v.

1680s, from be- "thoroughly" + archaic wilder "lead astray, lure into the wilds," probably a back-formation of wilderness. An earlier word with the same sense was bewhape (early 14c.). Related: Bewildered; bewildering; bewilderingly.