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numb. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
numb, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
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English
Etymology
From the past participle of nim (“to take”). Compare German benommen (“dazed, numb”). The final ⟨b⟩ is a later addition; it was never pronounced, and did not appear in the original word.
Pronunciation
Adjective
numb (comparative number, superlative numbest)
- Physically unable to feel, not having the power of sensation.
fingers numb with cold
legs numb from kneeling
- Synonyms: deadened, insensible
- Emotionally unable to feel or respond in a normal way.
- numb with shock; numb with boredom
1915, Nellie McClung, chapter 2, in In Times Like These, Toronto: McLeod & Allen:[…] 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.
1966, Truman Capote, In Cold Blood, New York: Modern Library, published 1992, Part One, p. 77:[…] seeing the dog—somehow that made me feel again. I’d been too dazed, too numb, to feel the full viciousness of it.
2016, Julian Barnes, The Noise of Time, Random House Canada, Part Three:[…] he submitted […] as a traitor, his mind numb with vodka, submits to a firing squad.
- Synonym: stunned
- (Maine) Dumb or stupid.
- (obsolete) Causing numbness.
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :[…] he did lap me
Even in his own garments, and gave himself,
All thin and naked to the numb cold night.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
physically unable to feel
- Arabic: خَدِر (ḵadir)
- Moroccan Arabic: منمل (mnammal)
- Armenian: թմրած (hy) (tʻmrac), անզգա (hy) (anzga), ընդարմացած (əndarmacʻac)
- Bulgarian: вцепенен (bg) (vcepenen)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 麻木 (zh) (mámù)
- Czech: necitlivý
- Dutch: verdoofd (nl), bewusteloos (nl), verstijfd (nl), verkleumd (nl)
- Esperanto: sensenta
- Finnish: puutunut (fi), tunnoton (fi), turta (fi)
- French: gourd (fr), engourdi (fr)
- Georgian: გაშეშებული (gašešebuli), გაფიჩხებული (gapičxebuli)
- German: taub (de), benommen (de), betäubt (de), gefühllos (de), starr (de)
- Greek: ναρκωμένος (el) (narkoménos)
- Ancient: ἀναίσθητος (anaísthētos)
- Hebrew: רדום (radúm) (slang), נרדם (nirdám) (slang)
- Hungarian: dermedt (hu), zsibbadt (hu), meggémberedett (hu), kábult (hu), eltompult (hu)
- Hunsrik: daab
- Icelandic: dofinn
- Italian: intorpidito (it)
- Japanese: 無感覚な (mukankaku na)
- Khmer: ស្រយង់ (km) (srɑyɑŋ), ស្គឹះ (km) (skɨh), សំទក់ (km) (sɑmtʊək)
- Korean: 마비되는 (mabidoeneun)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: سِڕ (sirr)
- Latin: torpidus, torpēns
- Latvian: nejutīgs, stings, stīvs
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Maori: kōpā, matangerengere, matangurunguru, kerekerewai, kēkerewai, matakerekere, pōpokorua (with cold and wet conditions), mangenge (from cold), tēteka
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norman: gourd (Jersey)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: nummen
- Persian: بیحس (fa), کرخ (fa) (kerex)
- Polish: odrętwiały
- Portuguese: amortecido (pt), entorpecido (pt), adormecido (pt)
- Romanian: amorțit (ro)
- Russian: онеме́лый (ru) (onemélyj)
- Spanish: entumecido (es), entumido (es) (by cold), insensible (es), entorpecido (es), dormido (es) (by lack of blood circulation), adormecido (es) (by drugs)
- Swahili: please add this translation if you can
- Swedish: valen (sv), domnad (sv)
- Tagalog: manhid
- Thai: ชา (th) (chaa)
- Turkish: uyuşuk (tr)
- Ukrainian: занімі́лий (zanimílyj)
- Vietnamese: tê (vi), tê cóng
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emotionally unable to feel
Verb
numb (third-person singular simple present numbs, present participle numbing, simple past and past participle numbed)
- (transitive) To cause to become numb (physically or emotionally).
- Synonym: benumb
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.
2020 April 22, “Letters: Open Access: Not easy for laptops”, in Rail, page 31:But her main concern is the hard seating that numbs the nether regions.
- (transitive) To cause (a feeling) to be less intense.
- Synonym: dull
He turned to alcohol to numb his pain.
1861, Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Grey Woman”, in The Grey Woman and Other Tales, London: Smith, Elder & Co.:[I was] thankful for the pain, which helped to numb my terror.
- (transitive) To cause (the mind, faculties, etc.) to be less acute.
- Synonym: dull
1912, Saki, “The Hounds of Fate”, in The Chronicles of Clovis, London: John Lane, page 219:[…] hunger, fatigue, and despairing hopelessness had numbed his brain […]
1927, Hugh Lofting, Doctor Dolittle’s Garden, Part Four, Chapter 6: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.
2004, Cory Doctorow, chapter 13, in Eastern Standard Tribe:[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.
- (intransitive) To become numb (especially physically).
1918, Lewis R. Freeman, “Wonders of the Teleferica”, in Many Fronts, London: John Murray, page 270:[…] after fumbling with numbing fingers for ten or fifteen minutes, he waved his hand with a gesture of despair […]
1919, Arthur Murray Chisholm, chapter 18, in The Land of Strong Men, New York: H.K. Fly:[…] 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.
Derived terms
Translations
to cause (a feeling) to be less intense
to cause the mind or senses to be less acute
to become numb physically