Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Deprived of the power to feel or move normally; benumbed.
  • adjective Emotionally unresponsive; indifferent.
  • transitive & intransitive verb To make or become numb.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To deprive of the power of sensation; dull tho sense of feeling in; benumb; render torpid.
  • To render dull; deaden; stupefy.
  • Taken; seized.
  • Deprived of the power of sensation, as from a stoppage of the circulation; torpid; hence, stupefied; powerless to feel or act: as, fingers numb with cold; numb senses.
  • Producing numbness; benumbing.
  • Synonyms Benumbed, deadened, paralyzed, insensible.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Enfeebled in, or destitute of, the power of sensation and motion; rendered torpid; benumbed; insensible.
  • adjective obsolete Producing numbness; benumbing.
  • transitive verb To make numb; to deprive of the power of sensation or motion; to render senseless or inert; to deaden; to benumb; to stupefy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Without the power of sensation and motion or feeling; insensible.
  • adjective Not able to react, surprised, shocked
  • verb transitive To cause to become numb.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective so frightened as to be unable to move; stunned or paralyzed with terror; petrified
  • adjective (followed by `to') not showing human feeling or sensitivity; unresponsive
  • adjective lacking sensation
  • verb make numb or insensitive

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English nome, variant of nomin, past participle of nimen, to seize, from Old English niman; see nem- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the past participle of nim

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Examples

Comments

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  • "I've become so numb I can't feel you there

    Become so tired so much more aware

    I'm becoming this all I want to do

    Is be more like me and be less like you"

    January 10, 2007

  • Sia I love her voice, such a talented musician, one of the greats... 'Numb' fantastic music & lyrics.

    October 11, 2016