nonplus

He found cross-examinations mentally invigorating, soon learned that he could nonplus storming attorneys if he kept smiling no matter how galling their insinuations.

From Time Magazine Archive

The small boy hesitated, plainly at a nonplus.

From The Dop Doctor by Richard Dehan

“By Jingo, that’s a bad job,” cried the skipper, but he was not long at a nonplus.

From The Ghost Ship A Mystery of the Sea by Henry Austin

Jupp was at a nonplus again; however, he tried to temporise with the mite, the more especially from his noticing that his little legs were quite mottled and his tiny fingers blue with cold.

From Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle by John C. (John Conroy) Hutcheson

“Why, the loon’s but a bairn,” said Mr Macdougall, at a nonplus for some objection to my promotion.

From On Board the Esmeralda Martin Leigh's Log - A Sea Story by William Heysham Overend

Leigh Rosser was similarly nonplused while describing his biggest challenge as design fabrication lead.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

Jamie, who was the team’s best player before Zava’s arrival, is visibly nonplused.

From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2023

The shepherds were nonplused by the project but became serious about matters of geography.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2022

And this, in turn, has left some of his peers nonplused — grumbling at what they see as a flimsy theory or bewildered as to why Harvard’s top astronomer won’t shut up about aliens.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2019

“I sure could use some lumber for my front porch,” he said, nonplused.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

As his comments become more inflammatory, the film cuts to the increasingly nonplussed reactions of Palantine and an aide, who have realized their driver is unwell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Durant appeared nonplussed by the spat, while admitting that he had deliberately taken a combative approach into the game.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

Ford, who died of natural causes at age 93 in 2006, was said to be nonplussed by Moore’s attempt on his life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025

"This is how I'd do it if I was DJ," he tells a group of nonplussed staff as dance music strains at his laptop speakers.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

The noisome fumes of the stink bomb forced officials to evacuate the school. nonplussed.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Weaver, however, verged on nonplussing co-hosts Brian Williams and Rachel Maddow, as well as reporter Steve Kornacki, MSNBC's millennial version of CNN's king-of-the-"Magic Wall" John King.

From US News ● Apr. 20, 2016

It is closely woven in with that of Poindexter, and presents one feature which may occasion you no surprise, but which, I own, came near nonplussing me.

From The Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green

Dismissing this nonplussing phase, I turned to the subject of the gem once more.

From The Paternoster Ruby by Charles Edmonds Walk

While his powers of discussion of a subject were great, the power that especially characterized him was that of nonplussing his antagonist with a snub or a sarcasm.

From The Brothers' War by John Calvin Reed

The question was awkward, nonplussing Jerky, and, the second time, calling for explanation from his sister; who, however, promptly vouchsafed it.

From No Quarter! by Mayne Reid