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1 Definition
Nonplussed means so surprised or confused that you're at a complete loss for what to say or do next. It describes that blank, bewildered pause when a situation defies your expectations entirely.
2 In Use
The waiter looked completely nonplussed when the customer asked for ketchup on the caviar.
3 Word Origin
Nonplussed comes from the Latin phrase non plus, meaning literally not more or no further. It entered English in the 1500s as a noun, a nonplus, describing a state in which one could go no further in thought or action. Over time it shifted into the adjective form we use today, describing the person stuck in that state rather than the state itself.
💡Fun Fact
Nonplussed has become one of the more famously contested words in English because American usage has quietly reversed part of its meaning. In traditional usage, nonplussed strictly means baffled or at a loss, but a newer informal American sense has emerged meaning unfazed or unbothered, essentially the opposite. Dictionaries now list both meanings, which makes the word a favorite example among linguists studying how meanings can drift or even flip entirely over generations. Careful writers still tend to stick with the original sense to avoid confusing readers who know both definitions.
