numbing Definition

numb
adj number, numbest

1. Deprived completely, or to some degree, of sensation.

Thesaurus: insensible, insensitive, deadened, dead, insensate, unfeeling, asleep, benumbed, stupefied, anesthetized, senseless, apathetic, lethargic, phlegmatic, listless, torpid, stunned; Antonym: sensitive.
2. Too stunned to feel emotion; stupefied.

Example: numb with shock

verb numbed, numbing

1. To make something numb.

Thesaurus: paralyse, stun, dull, deaden, stupefy, benumb, obtund.
2. To deaden something.

Derivative: numbly
adverb

Derivative: numbness
noun

The state or feeling of being deprived of sensation
Thesaurus: deadness, dullness, stupefaction, insensibility, paralysis, anesthesia, insensitivity, torpor; Antonym: sensitivity.

Etymology: 15c as nomen, meaning ‘seized', ie with paralysis: from nim to take.