ANSWER: The correct definition and usage of "nonplussed"

[mendax.livejournal.com]

sidlj asks, "What is the correct definition and usage of nonplussed?"
With examples from Sherlock and The New York Times.



According to Merriam-Webster online, the definition of nonplus is “to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do : perplex.” Its etymology is from the Latin non plus, “no more, no further.” If you are nonplussed, you cannot deal with any more. You are taken aback. Stumped. Confounded. Bewildered. Flustered. Baffled. Stymied. Dumbfounded. Perplexed. Flabbergasted. Astounded. Mystified. Discombobulated, even.

Possibly the best part about working on cases with Sherlock was the way his observations could nonplus even the most jaded detective.

Or, for the adjective form, this delightful example from amedia:

John decided that the new sex toy with the vibrating feather duster attachment was worth everything he paid for it; he had never seen Sherlock so utterly nonplussed before.

Do you know what you are not? Unfazed. Impassive. Disinterested. Yet there is a growing trend of people using nonplussed to mean, well, pretty much the opposite of what it does mean. Not only in speech, fanfic, and other unpublished works, but also in such esteemed publications as The New York Times.

The owner happens to be a computer security expert [who] knows about the attacks because his computer has a fire wall, which keeps intruders out and tells him when they have come by. Yet he was nonplussed by the number of attacks on that single day last week. "I think it's fairly typical," he said. (—Gina Kolata, "Check Your Doors," The New York Times, February 20, 2000. [Italics added.])

The prevailing theory seems to be that the negative prefix “non” causes the confusion. Nonplussed sounds more like those other words with negative prefixes (unfazed, impassive) than it does like perplexed. We learn the meaning of many words simply by reading or hearing them in context. However, sometimes the context does not provide adequate clues.

John was nonplussed by all the gunfire.

It’s entirely possible that the adrenaline-addicted veteran Dr. Watson would be impassive in the face of gunfire. If you were uncertain of the correct meaning of nonplussed, given unclear context like this, you might assume the incorrect meaning based on the sound of the word.

As a writer, you can help your readers out. There is enough confusion surrounding the definition of nonplussed that if you use it in your writing, you may wish to bolster the context to make the meaning clear.

Comments

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

THANK you for posting about this. The rising misuse of "nonplussed" is making me very cross.

[mendax.livejournal.com]

I know the feeling! I was so pleased to see this question in our queue.

[dark-weezing.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I think it is being confused with blase to a minor degree, which is another fun word in itself.

I thought I knew the difference, but the refresher is nice. Thanks.

[mendax.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. Blasé is a wonderful word. Thanks for the comment — I'm glad you found the refresher useful.

[swishyclang.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank God. It seems every fic I read these days has one of these mildly irritating misuses, and it ruins the flow for me every time.

Another one I keep seeing is 'grinned/grins' or 'smiled/smiles' after speech (as in '"Don't worry," grinned Character A.'). Ack. So, yes, thank you for posting this - I was almost starting to doubt my own interpretation of the word.

[mendax.livejournal.com]

I would not be entirely surprised to see the incorrect definition make it into the dictionary before too many years go by. But it's not there yet, so I was happy to be able to clarify the correct use.