as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a succession of personal tragedies had benumbed him to all grief
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of benumb
Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benumb
Verb
-
Guided by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has moved aggressively the past week to fire probationary workers across federal departments and agencies in an effort to drastically reduce the size of the government.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
An extra set of eyes and ears helps reduce the odds of injury.—
Josh Honeycutt,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
White was known for her wry smile and biting humor, which, even in her older years, never dulled our tamed.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Dust and grime can quickly dull the light streaming in, so a good cleaning routine can make all the difference.—
Katelyn Squiers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Transatlantic unity The war in Ukraine has foreclosed on options and blunted Russian action around the world.—
Ronald H. Linden,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2025
-
On that cool November day, the jail staff interrupted that downward cycle, offering Santiago a medication that would blunt his opioid cravings and drastically improve his chances of staying sober, staying alive.—
Ethan Varian,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Atom and Claudette with recognizable humanity, the film’s artistry turns them into ciphers and symbols of the numbing effects of ethnic conflict.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Chicago Cafe is offering prospective buyers eight months of free rent to numb the sting of remodeling.—
Benjy Egel,
Sacramento Bee,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The absence of Ayo Dosunmu — who is dealing with shoulder discomfort from a long-term injury — further diminished the Bulls roster.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The union, too, had diminished in strength and numbers.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA TODAY,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In the fourth quarter of 2024, WK Kellogg reported net sales of $640 million, a decrease of 1.7% compared to $651 million in the same period in 2023, impacted by a 5.6% volume decline and a 40 basis point headwind from the weakening Canadian dollar.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
But the Trump administration's new cuts further weaken a banking watchdog that has been sounding the alarm for years about its decreasing ability to prevent future banking crises.—
Maria Aspan,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
America’s morning television brightens the day but deadens the soul.—
Joel Golby,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
-
One way of deadening the mind to distractions is by blowing opponents off the court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
5 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
But when Herring gave these patients buprenorphine, their pain and nausea subsided quickly.—
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
-
In the case of the San Francisco Bay Area (specifically, Bay Farm Island, Corte Madera, Foster City and San Rafael), the researchers found that the land is subsiding at a rate of more than 0.4 inch each year as a result of sediment compaction.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Benumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumb. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share