benumb

/bi-ˈnəm bē-/ (ame, mw)

benumb — verb

  • benumbpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • benumbs3rd person singular
  • benumbing-ing form
  • benumbedpast simple

1. to cause someone to lose the ability to feel strong emotions or react to things

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to cause someone to lose the ability to feel strong emotions or react to things that would normally affect them, typically after repeated exposure to unpleasant experiences.

例句

Years of working in the emergency room had benumbed Theo to the suffering he witnessed every day.

benumbed Theo to the suffering

The long, repetitive ceremony benumbed the audience until most people were staring blankly ahead.

ceremony benumbed the audience

同義詞
  • numb

    more common and less formal; can be used for both physical and emotional sensations

  • deaden

    suggests reducing the intensity of feeling rather than completely removing it

  • stupefy

    emphasizes mental confusion or daze rather than loss of emotional response

  • dull

    milder than benumb; implies a reduction but not a total elimination of sensitivity

反義詞
  • sensitize

    to make more aware or responsive, the opposite of emotional numbing

  • awaken

    to rouse from a numb or unresponsive state

文法句型

benumb + object

be benumbed by + [experience]

be benumbed to + [stimulus]

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the passive voice (be benumbed) or with the verb feel. The preposition to introduces the thing that no longer causes a reaction. Distinguish from sense 2, which refers only to physical numbness from cold.

常見錯誤

❌I benumbed after sitting for three hours.
✅My leg went numb after sitting for three hours.
💡benumb is transitive and formal; for everyday physical numbness, use go numb or fall asleep.
❌The medication benumbed my feelings.
✅The medication dulled my emotions.
💡benumb implies a lasting, often trauma-induced loss of sensitivity, not a temporary effect of medicine.

2. to cause a part of the body to lose all physical sensation as a result of very l

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to cause a part of the body to lose all physical sensation as a result of very low temperature or exposure to extreme cold.

例句

The freezing wind benumbed Linnea's fingers as she waited for the bus in the snowstorm.

wind benumbed Linnea's fingers

After swimming in the icy lake, Kwame's feet were benumbed and he struggled to walk.

feet were benumbed

同義詞
  • freeze

    more common; implies that the body part becomes stiff or frozen, not just numb

  • chill

    milder; suggests cooling rather than total loss of sensation

反義詞
  • warm

    to restore sensation by raising temperature

  • thaw

    to bring back from a frozen or numb state

文法句型

[cold] + benumb + [body part]

be benumbed by + [cold/wind/water]

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, this sense is always literal and refers exclusively to the physical effect of cold. The affected body part (fingers, toes, feet, face) is the grammatical object. Often found in descriptive or narrative prose rather than everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌I benumbed my hands in the snow.
✅My hands were benumbed by the cold snow.
💡use the passive construction for the affected person.