bewildering

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /bɪˈwɪldɚɪŋ/ UK /bɪˈwɪldərɪŋ/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
causing confusion or perplexity

The form asked a bewildering number of questions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · causing confusion or... confusing perplexing baffling mystifying puzzlingdisorientingconfounding

Opposites

clear obvious plain straightforward

Word family

Derived forms bewilderingly

Related forms bewilder bewildered bewilderment

Etymology

From be- (intensive prefix) + obsolete wilder ('to lead astray, lose one's way'), itself from wilderness. First attested in the 17th century.

be- Old English wilder Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# bewildering

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** bɪˈwɪldɚɪŋ
**IPA (UK):** bɪˈwɪldərɪŋ

## Meanings
1. causing confusion or perplexity

## Examples
- The form asked a bewildering number of questions.

## Synonyms
- confusing
- perplexing
- baffling
- mystifying
- puzzling
- disorienting
- confounding

## Antonyms
- clear
- obvious
- plain
- straightforward

## Derived Forms
- bewilderingly

## Related Forms
- bewilder
- bewildered
- bewilderment

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: be-
- Root: wilder

## Etymology
From be- (intensive prefix) + obsolete wilder ('to lead astray, lose one's way'), itself from wilderness. First attested in the 17th century.

## AI Etymology
Bewildering comes from be- (intensive prefix) + obsolete wilder ('to lead astray, lose one's way'), itself from wilderness. First attested in the 17th century. The historical trail runs through Old English be- and Middle English wilder. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means causing confusion or perplexity. Derived formations include bewilderingly; related forms include bewilder, bewildered, bewilderment.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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