numb
Part of speech: adj
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”) and Old Norse numinn. The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word.
Inflected forms:
form: number
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: numbest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: numbs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: numbing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: numbed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: numbed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: Physically unable to feel, not having the power of sensation.
pos: adj
examples: fingers numb with cold
legs numb from kneeling
gloss: Emotionally unable to feel or respond in a normal way.
pos: adj
examples: numb with shock; numb with boredom
[…] when we know that hundreds are rendered homeless every day, and countless thousands are killed and wounded, men and boys mowed down like a field of grain, and with as little compunction, we grow a little bit numb to human misery.
[…] seeing the dog—somehow that made me feel again. I’d been too dazed, too numb, to feel the full viciousness of it.
[…] he submitted […] as a traitor, his mind numb with vodka, submits to a firing squad.
gloss: Dumb or stupid.
pos: adj
tags: Maine
gloss: Causing numbness.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: […] he did lap me
Even in his own garments, and gave himself,
All thin and naked to the numb cold night.
gloss: To cause to become numb (physically or emotionally).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The dentist gave me novocaine to numb my tooth before drilling, thank goodness.
When I first heard the news, I was numbed by the shock.
The ravviſh danke of clumzie vvinter ramps / The fluent ſummers vaine: and drizling ſleete / Chilleth the vvan bleak cheek of the numd earth, / VVhilſt ſnarling guſts nibble the iuyceles leaues, / From the nak't ſhuddring branch; […]
But her main concern is the hard seating that numbs the nether regions.
gloss: To cause (a feeling) to be less intense.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He turned to alcohol to numb his pain.
[I was] thankful for the pain, which helped to numb my terror.
gloss: To cause (the mind, faculties, etc.) to be less acute.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: […] hunger, fatigue, and despairing hopelessness had numbed his brain […]
The noise, the rush of air past our ears, was positively terrific. It actually seemed to numb the senses and make it almost impossible to take in impressions at all.
[The sofa] exhaled a breath of trapped ancient farts, barf-smell, and antiseptic, the parfum de asylum that gradually numbed my nose to all other scents on the ward.
gloss: To become numb (especially physically).
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: […] after fumbling with numbing fingers for ten or fifteen minutes, he waved his hand with a gesture of despair […]
[…] once more his feet began to numb. Again he got down and stamped the circulation going, but as soon as he began to ride again they numbed.
Antonyms: sensible
sensitive
Related words: numskull
Derived words: benumb
brain-numbing
numb-brained
numbfish
numb-handed
numbhead
numbish
numbly
numbness
numbnuts
numbskull
numbskulled
numbwit
numby
renumb
unnumb
mind-numbing
numb out
Translations:
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 麻木不仁的
roman: mámùbùrén de
lang: Czech
word: ochromený
lang: Finnish
word: lamaantunut
lang: Finnish
word: turta
lang: German
word: gefühllos
lang: German
word: unempfindlich
lang: Māori
word: rōrā
lang: Māori
word: paraheahea
lang: Portuguese
word: entorpecido
lang: Portuguese
word: dormente
lang: Turkish
word: duygusuz
lang: Turkish
word: hissiz
lang: Vietnamese
word: vô cảm
lang: Vietnamese
word: chết lặng
lang: Finnish
word: turruttaa
lang: Spanish
word: embotar
lang: Spanish
word: entorpecer
lang: Finnish
word: puutua
lang: Finnish
word: turtua
lang: Finnish
word: kohmettua
lang: Russian
word: неме́ть
roman: nemétʹ
lang: Spanish
word: entumecerse
lang: Spanish
word: entumirse
lang: Spanish
word: aterirse
lang: Spanish
word: aterecerse
lang: Spanish
word: arrecirse
lang: Tamil
word: மர
roman: mara