Have you ever been bewildered by something that is confusing and out of the ordinary? If so, you could say that you are bemused.
The word bemuse is often when someone has encountered something that is puzzling or confusing. The word explains when the aim or outcome of the situation or action is to cause confusion. The person encountering the confusing situation is said to be bemused.
Bemuse tends not to be used when something is expected. For example, we can try to solve a problem such as a fault on an electrical circuit and be confused or puzzled by the fault, but this is not necessarily being bemused. Bemused suggests an element of surprise when the puzzling or confusing situation occurs.
When someone is bemused, although the situation may have an element of surprise, the person is not shocked. The word bemused tends to suggest a minor element of confusion rather than a catastrophically complex situation that requires drastic action.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word bemuse as ‘to slightly confuse someone‘.
The word bemuse is a verb.
Bemuse can have different endings depending on the context that it is used. For example, bemused, bemusement, and bemusing.
Thank you for reading the word of the day for 8th August 2020. Please look out for our next word.
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