Adjacent Words

benumb definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make numb or insensitive; "The shock numbed her senses" [syn: numb, benumb, blunt, dull]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English benomen, from benomen, past participle of benimen to deprive, from Old English beniman, from be- + niman to take — more at nimble Date: 14th century 1. to make inactive ; deaden 2. to make numb especially by cold

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 make numb; deaden. 2 paralyse (the mind or feelings). Etymology: orig. = deprived, as past part. of ME benimen f. OE beniman (as BE-, niman take)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Benumb Be*numb", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benumbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Benumbing.] [OE. binomen, p. p. of binimen to take away, AS. beniman; pref. be + niman to take. See Numb, a., and cf. Benim.] To make torpid; to deprive of sensation or sensibility; to stupefy; as, a hand or foot benumbed by cold. The creeping death benumbed her senses first. --Dryden.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Stupefy, paralyze, deaden, blunt, make torpid, render insensible.

Moby Thesaurus

KO, abate, allay, alleviate, anesthetize, appease, assuage, bedaze, bemuse, besot, bite, blunt, chill, chloroform, coldcock, cushion, cut, deaden, deaden the pain, desensitize, diminish, dope, drug, dull, ease, ease matters, etherize, foment, freeze, frost, frostbite, give relief, go through, kayo, knock out, knock senseless, knock stiff, knock unconscious, lay, lay out, lessen, lull, mitigate, mollify, mull, narcotize, nip, numb, obtund, pad, palliate, palsy, paralyze, penetrate, petrify, pierce, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, put to sleep, reduce, refrigerate, relieve, salve, slacken, slake, soften, soothe, stun, stupe, stupefy, subdue