ENGLISH
REFERENCE

numb

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈnəm// UK //nˈʌm// numb Archaic

adj. unable to feel pain, touch, or emotion. You use this when a part of your body stops feeling anything, or when you are too shocked to react.

adj. lacking physical sensation, particularly pain or touch; also used to describe an emotional state of being unresponsive or indifferent.


SIMPLE

My fingers went numb in the cold.

CONTEXTUAL

She felt numb after hearing the sudden news about her job.

COMPLEX

The sheer scale of the disaster left the survivors feeling emotionally numb, unable to process their grief immediately.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'feel' or 'become'.

Pitfall

I am numb with coldMy hands are numb from the coldNumb usually describes a specific body part or a general state, not the whole person in a static sense.

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