amuse
verb
transitive verb
intransitive verb
Did you know?
Are amused and bemused synonyms?
Many people link bemused with amused, believing that the former word carries the meaning “amused, with a touch of something else.” While this was not its original sense, bemused has been used in such a fashion for long enough, and by enough people, that the meaning “having feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing" has become established. You may use bemuse in this fashion if you wish, but bear in mind that some people find it objectionable, insisting that bemused and amused are entirely distinct and that bemused properly means “marked by confusion or bewilderment.” It is worth noting that before bemused indicated confusion it had the meaning (especially among poets) “devoted to the Muses.”
Synonyms
- disport
- divert
- entertain
- regale
- solace
Example Sentences
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2022 The Frank corpus, for its part, coheres in one hapless creature’s attempts to amuse himself in between horrifying encounters with monsters that are both unknowable and the building blocks of the world around him. Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022 Complete with quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, and mazes, this activity book will amuse her throughout the long nine months. Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 4 Aug. 2022 And now this city that exists to amuse is hosting full houses once again. Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2022 Preteens can amuse themselves in the upstairs games room, while teenagers can play pool or watch movies in the media room on the lower level. Kathy Orton, Washington Post, 17 June 2022 Indulging in the Y2Ks Archive does more than amuse. Cassidy George, Vogue, 2 June 2022 His success on Twitter arose from his capacity to outrage or amuse a global audience of both enemies and acolytes (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kim Jong Un, as well as your Trumpist cousin across town). Steve Coll, The New Yorker, 5 June 2022 There were no cellphones to amuse us back then, and the darkness prevented us from flirting with cute boys in other cars. Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 21 May 2022 See More Word History
Middle French amuser, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + muser to muse
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Phrases Containing amuse
Kids Definition
amuse
verb
amuse
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- entertain
- regale
- distract
- delight
- appease
- divert
- solace
- occupy
- engross
- enchant
- interest
- captivate
- please
- disport
- fascinate
- busy
- enthral
- mesmerize
- enthrall
- beguile
- intrigue
- bewitch
- engage
- console
- comfort
- involve
- immerse
- humor
- charm
- hypnotize
- gratify
- pleasure
- placate
- pamper
- soothe
- spoil
- indulge
- mollify
- coddle
- pacify
- mollycoddle
- content
- propitiate
- oblige
- absorb
- conciliate
- grip
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- bore
- weary
- annoy
- wear
- exhaust
- drain
- aggravate
- harass
- exasperate
- bother
- disturb
- fatigue
- vex
- tire
- irk
- upset
- enervate
- perturb
- pester
- wear out
- jade
- pique
- bug
- fret
- harry
- grate
- chafe
- gall
- peeve
- nettle
Synonym Chooser
The words divert and entertain are common synonyms of amuse. While all three words mean "to pass or cause to pass the time pleasantly," amuse suggests that one's attention is engaged lightly.
While in some cases nearly identical to amuse, divert implies distracting attention from worry or routine occupation especially by something funny.
The words entertain and amuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, entertain suggests supplying amusement by specially contrived methods.