different between bewilder vs bamboozle

English

Etymology

From be- (prefix used as an intensifier) +? wilder (“to lead astray; to go astray, wander”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /b??w?ld?(?)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /b??w?ld?/
• Rhymes: -?ld?(?)
• Hyphenation: be?wild?er

Verb

bewilder (third-person singular simple present bewilders, present participle bewildering, simple past and past participle bewildered)

1. (transitive) To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices.

   Synonyms: befuddle; see also Thesaurus:confuse

Conjugation

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• bewilder in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• bewilder in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology

Derivative of 17th-century vernacular bam (“to trick, to con”), which is a derivative of bam in noun use (fraudster, cheat). Possibly from French embobiner

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bæm.?bu?.z?l/

Verb

bamboozle (third-person singular simple present bamboozles, present participle bamboozling, simple past and past participle bamboozled)

1. (transitive, informal) To con, defraud, trick, to make a fool of, to humbug or impose on someone.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 19

     “Look here, friend,” said I, “if you have anything important to tell us, out with it; but if you are only trying to bamboozle us, you are mistaken in your game; that’s all I have to say.”

2. (transitive, informal) To confuse, frustrate or perplex.

   He's completely bamboozled by the changes in the computer system.

Translations

Derived terms

Noun

bamboozle (plural bamboozles)

1. (obsolete, informal) A cheat, hoax, or imposition.