nonplussed
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nonplussed
- /nɒnˈplʌst/ UK
- /ˌnɑnˈplʌst/ US
Rhymes with -ʌst
Where it comes from
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”.
adjective more nonplussed · most nonplussed · non-plussed
-
Unsure how to act or respond; bewildered, perplexed.
[N]ote the honeſt Quaker vvas nonpluſſed, and greatly ſurprized at that Queſtion.
Similar: confounded, vexed, lost for words, addle-pated, addled, addlepated, at a loss, at a loss for words, at sea, at sixes and sevens, baffled, befuddled · Opposite: 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
Similar: blasé, jaded, adiaphroistic, apathetic, apathistical, blithe, deaf, cool, shiftless, dispassionate, dull, enervated · Opposite: plussed
verb non-plussed
- simple past and past participle of nonplus
Translations
Every language
adj unsure how to act or respond — see also bewildered, perplexed
| Español | perplejo |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | भौचक bhaucak |
| Português | desconcertado, perplexo |
| Français | déconcerté, interloqué, perplexe |
| Deutsch | verblüfft |
| Italiano | perplesso |
| Русский | расте́рянный rastérjannyj |
Talk about this word "nonplussed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nonplussed. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nonplussed. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nonplussed "nonplussed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nonplussed.Cite this
@misc{nonplussed_2026,
title = {nonplussed},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nonplussed},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
