nonplussed
Syllables: non·plussed/nɒnˈplʌst/US/ˌnɑnˈplʌst/
nonplussed adjective: unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed. Also the simple past and past participle of nonplus.
Adjective
nonplussed (comparative more nonplussed, superlative most nonplussed)
- Unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed.
- [N]ote the honeſt Quaker vvas nonpluſſed, and greatly ſurprized at that Queſtion.1724, [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunate Mistress; […] [Roxana], London: […] E. Applebee, […], published 1740, →OCLC, page 277
- I could not discern what she meant, and I would not ask her: I was nonplussed.1853 January, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “A Burial”, in Villette. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, page 285
- Synonyms:
- confounded, vexed, lost for words, addle-pated, addled, addlepated, at a loss, at a loss for words, at sea, at sixes and sevens
- Antonyms:
- plussed
- Unaffected, unfazed; unimpressed.
- "I regard Dean [W. P.] Baddeley's gambling activities with embarrassment and dismay," said Anglican dean of Melbourne S. Barton Babbage. […] The Rev. Baddeley remained nonplussed. "I don't intend to make a habit of going to the races but I feel clergymen should mix as our Lord did with all walks of...1960 August 2, “Cleric’s error was to win his wagers”, in Oakland Tribune, home edition, volume CLXXIII, number 33, Oakland, Calif.: Oakland Tribune, →ISSN, →OCLC, page E7, column 6
- And while many of us might be a little taken aback if Mom showed up at our offices, Secrist is utterly nonplussed, even happy about it.2002 April 14, Debra Pickett, “Sunday lunch with”, in Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Public Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 24
- Synonyms:
- blasé, jaded, adiaphroistic, apathetic, apathistical, blithe, deaf, cool, shiftless, dispassionate
- Antonyms:
- plussed
Also used as
nonplussed is also the simple past and past participle of nonplus.
nonplussed meaning in Hindi
nonplussed in Hindi
- unsure how to act or respond — see also bewildered, perplexed
- भौचक bhaucak
Examples of nonplussed in a sentence
- You couldn’t have told it from my manner, but I was feeling more than a bit nonplussed.1934 October 5, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter II, in Right Ho, Jeeves, London: Herbert Jenkins […], →OCLC, page 24:
- From all appearances, he seemed nonplussed and never was remorseful or contrite.2003 September, Gerald F. Kreyche, “John Charles Fremont and the Exploration of the American West”, in USA Today, volume 132, number 2700...
- My brother-in-law, Mike, was nonplussed: "Why would you get excited over a little bug like that?"2004 June, Shannon Thompson, “Houseboating on California’s Shasta Lake”, in Sunset, volume 212, number 6, Oakland, Calif.: Sunset...
Synonyms of nonplussed
- confounded
- vexed
- lost for words
- addle-pated
- addled
- addlepated
- at a loss
- at a loss for words
- at sea
- at sixes and sevens
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
- baffled
- befuddled
- bewildered
- confused
- confuzzled
- dazed
- dazzled
- discombobulated
- disconcerted
- dumbfounded
- flabagasted
- flabbergasted
- flabbergastered
- flummoxed
- flustered
- fluttered
- jumbled
- minussed
- misled
- mixed up
- muddled
- muzzy
- mystified
- not with it
- out of it
- out to lunch
- perplexed
- punch-drunk
- puzzled
- spaced out
Antonyms
Forms of nonplussed
| comparative | more nonplussed |
|---|---|
| superlative | most nonplussed |
| alternative form | non-plussed |
Origin of nonplussed
From nonplus (“state of bewilderment or perplexity”, noun) or nonplus (“to bewilder or perplex (someone)”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives, and the past tense and past participle forms of verbs). Nonplus (noun) is derived from Latin nōn plūs (“no further, no more”), from nōn (“not”) + plūs (“additionally, more; further”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)). The etymological sense is similar to being left speechless as a result of confusion: the nonplussed person can say or do “no more”. Adjective sense 2 (“unaffected”) is probably from a misinterpretation of the first element of the word as the prefix non- meaning “not”.
Words formed from nonplussed
Words that rhyme with nonplussed
Questions about nonplussed
- What does nonplussed mean?
- Nonplussed means unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed.
- What is nonplussed in Hindi?
- Nonplussed in Hindi is भौचक (bhaucak). See Nonplussed meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use nonplussed in a sentence?
- You couldn’t have told it from my manner, but I was feeling more than a bit nonplussed.
- What part of speech is nonplussed?
- Nonplussed is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce nonplussed?
- Nonplussed is pronounced /nɒnˈplʌst/ (UK).
Words near nonplussed in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: nonplussed (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “nonplussed.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/nonplussed. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.