1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
an utterly numbing class in statistics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freezing
having a low or subnormal temperature
the numbing air of that wintry morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
wait for the medication to numb your mouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of numbing
Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 5 Dec. 2025
Some critics and documentary filmmakers say that mandate is reductive and numbing.
—Michael Powell, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2022
Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 18 Mar. 2026
The 25-minute, full-face treatment involves numbing and is highly tolerable, with one to two days of mild redness.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for numbing
Adjective
Clove water contains compounds with mild numbing and anti-inflammatory effects.
—Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 5 Dec. 2025
Some critics and documentary filmmakers say that mandate is reductive and numbing.
—Michael Powell, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2022
Verb
Minimal downtime, no numbing required, and results build over time.
—Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 18 Mar. 2026
The 25-minute, full-face treatment involves numbing and is highly tolerable, with one to two days of mild redness.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for numbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbing
Adjective
-
Sometimes safe and boring can be a winning strategy.—
Nina Bambysheva,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The cause can be something as simple as a lack of water or more complex, like fungal wilt diseases, tomato wilt viruses, walnut toxicity, or boring insects.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Richard claimed she was locked alone in the freezing car for two hours, unable to leave the vehicle because there were no interior door handles.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
-
Ensure that your freezer is set to the coldest setting before starting the flash-freezing process.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
This battery system will enable up to 12 hours of silent scientific operations powered entirely by batteries, reducing both emissions and underwater noise that can interfere with sensitive marine research.—
Dea Jusufi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
According to the researchers, the catalyst weakens excessive bonding between iron sites and hydroxyl intermediates, allowing the reaction to proceed more smoothly and reducing one of the major bottlenecks in zinc-air battery operation.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The longtime Florida coach swapped a tiring McDonald for Russell Sandefer with one out in the top of the sixth inning.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 June 2026
-
By combining both the heated air flow of a blow dryer and a round brush in a single tool, this product is much simpler and less tiring to use than working with a separate hair dryer and round brush.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Levine’s missive comes amid an icy relationship with Hosseini, which has soured since the collapse of former University of Michigan President Santa Ono’s candidacy for the UF presidency.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
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Earth-impacting shrapnel from those primordial upheavals may have helped seed our planet with the precursors for life, delivering water and organic compounds from the dark, icy depths of the outer solar system.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The danger is heavy-handed protections for Eskom will suppress wholesale prices, dulling market signals investors need for further investment in the sector, and effectively rebranding the old monopoly.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
-
At some point, the bracket creep is going to overreach into the point of diminishing marginal returns — dulling regular seasons and perhaps ultimately even eventually interest in the postseasons.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Virgo moon invites you to take a slower pace today.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
The Targaryen civil war has been a bit of a slow burn so far, though both sides of the family have suffered major casualties.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
The perk here is that the material holds up to cold weather by stretching and expanding without breaking, requiring fewer repairs and resource use.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
But there are ways of assessing it with cold hard figures, most notably the FIFA world rankings, which began in the 1990s as a way to assess the strength of international teams.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Numbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbing. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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