numb

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /nʌm/ See IPA manual

Freq #8638

Meanings

1

adj
Unable to feel anything in part of the body.

My fingers went numb with cold while waiting at the bus stop.
2

adj
Unable to feel emotions in a normal way, often because of shock.

She felt numb with grief after hearing the terrible news.
3

verb
To make a part of the body unable to feel.

The dentist numbed my gum before pulling the tooth.
4

verb
To make a feeling or the mind less sharp or intense.

He drank to numb the pain of losing his job.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · unable to feel anything in... deadened insensible

2 adj · unable to feel emotions in... stunned

3 verb · to make a part of the body... benumb deaden

4 verb · to make a feeling or the... dull

Opposites

sensible sensitive

Word family

Forms numbednumbestnumbingnumbs

Derived forms benumbbrain-numbingmind-numbingnumb-brainednumb-handednumbfishnumbheadnumbishnumblynumbnessnumbnutsnumbskull

Related forms numskull

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

too numb
so overwhelmed by fear or shock that normal feeling or action is difficult

Adverb + adjective

Simplified etymology

Numb developed from a form related to the past tense of Old English nim, “to take.” The idea was that sensation had been “taken away,” producing the later meaning “deprived of feeling.”

Etymology

From the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”) and Old Norse numinn. The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word.

*nem- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# numb

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, verb
**IPA (US):** /nʌm/
**Frequency rank:** 8638

## Meanings
1. Unable to feel anything in part of the body.
2. Unable to feel emotions in a normal way, often because of shock.
3. To make a part of the body unable to feel.
4. To make a feeling or the mind less sharp or intense.

## Examples
- My fingers went numb with cold while waiting at the bus stop.
- She felt numb with grief after hearing the terrible news.
- The dentist numbed my gum before pulling the tooth.
- He drank to numb the pain of losing his job.

## Antonyms
- sensible
- sensitive

## Derived Forms
- benumb
- brain-numbing
- mind-numbing
- numb-brained
- numb-handed
- numbfish
- numbhead
- numbish
- numbly
- numbness
- numbnuts
- numbskull

## Related Forms
- numskull

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *nem-

## Etymology
From the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”) and Old Norse numinn. The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word.

## AI Etymology
Numb is from the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”) and Old Norse numinn. The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word. In present-day use, it can mean unable to feel anything in part of the body, or unable to feel emotions in a normal way, often because of shock. Derived formations include benumb, brain-numbing, mind-numbing, numb-brained, and numb-handed.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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