nonplussed

nonplussed

adjective

completely puzzled or perplexed by something unexpected.

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WHY DICTIONARY.COM CHOSE NONPLUSSED
Nonplussed: Word of the Day

MORE ABOUT NONPLUSSED
Nonplussed was first recorded in 1600–10, and comes from the verb nonplus, “to render utterly perplexed by something unexpected.”
Nonplus comes from the Latin phrase n;n pl;s, which literally means, “not more, no further,” as in, not much more can be done.
More recently, nonplussed has been used to mean “indifferent or unexcited,” a contradictory second meaning.
One explanation for this is the analysis of nonplussed as non– “not” + plussed, interpreted as “not puzzled, perplexed, bothered, or impressed,” when in fact plussed has no meaning in English.
EXAMPLES OF NONPLUSSED

The complex riddle posed by the professor left the students nonplussed, as they struggled to come up with a logical solution.
Upon hearing the mind-boggling plot twist in the movie, I sat in silence, completely nonplussed by the unexpected turn of events.


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