Benumb

//biˈnʌm// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make numb, as by cold or anesthetic. transitive

    "[…] the sayd Phillip […] in the same his pilgrimage was stricken with such colde, that he fell into a palsey, and was benumbed of the right side of his body."

  2. 2
    make numb or insensitive wordnet
  3. 3
    To deaden, dull (the mind, faculties, etc.). figuratively, transitive

    "[…] If this law Of nature be corrupted through affection, And that great minds, of partial indulgence To their benumbed wills, resist the same, There is a law in each well-order’d nation To curb those raging appetites that are Most disobedient and refractory."

Synonyms

All synonyms
numbabateallayalleviateanesthetizeappease

Example

More examples

"[…] the sayd Phillip […] in the same his pilgrimage was stricken with such colde, that he fell into a palsey, and was benumbed of the right side of his body."

Etymology

From be- + numb.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.