What does bewilderment mean?
Word: Bewilderment
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Bewilderment means a feeling of being completely puzzled, when you cannot work out what is happening or what to do.
Synonyms: confusion, puzzlement
How do you spell bewilderment?
Syllables: be - wil - der - ment
Tricky part: The weak vowel before the m is easy to mishear: it is e-r, not a-r or u-r.
Watch out for: bewildarment, bewildurment
Memory tip: The quiet e-r here is the comparing ending you put on kinder, colder and wilder.
Bewilderment in a sentence
Example 1: To Riya's bewilderment, her umbrella had vanished from the stand outside the classroom.
Example 2: The puppy stared in bewilderment at its own reflection in the glass door.
Example 3: There was bewilderment in the hall when the lights went off in the middle of the quiz.
Fun Fact
The verb bewilder first meant to lead someone off the path into wild country, which is why being bewildered still feels like being lost.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
bewilder______
a) mint
b) mente
c) ment
d) mant
Show answer
c) ment. Nouns made from verbs this way take ment, as in enjoyment and amazement.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
bewilderment
a) astonishment
b) surprise
c) perplexity
d) understanding
Show answer
d) understanding. Once you understand something, you are no longer puzzled by it.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
brwietmndele
a) wilderness
b) bewilderment
c) bewildering
d) disagreement
Show answer
b) bewilderment. The w and the m settle it: bewildering and wilderness have no m, and disagreement has no w.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) concience
b) bewilderment
c) neccessary
d) perseverence
Show answer
b) bewilderment. Perseverence should end in ance, concience is missing the s before its c, and neccessary should have one c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which situation would most likely fill you with bewilderment?
a) finding your bicycle painted a new colour overnight
b) reading a story you know by heart
c) walking to school by your normal route
d) eating your usual breakfast at home
Show answer
a) finding your bicycle painted a new colour overnight
2. Someone full of bewilderment is most likely to ____.
a) frown and scratch their head
b) laugh loudly at a joke
c) cheer and clap their hands
d) yawn and stretch sleepily
Show answer
a) frown and scratch their head
