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"Nonplussed" = bewildered, perplexed, at a loss for what to say or do; "unfazed" = unaffected, calm and composed despite difficulty.
Side-by-side comparison
"Nonplussed" originally means bewildered or unsure what to do when faced with an unexpected situation. In modern American English, through widespread error, many use it to mean the opposite: unfazed.
The student was nonplussed by the exam question, it was about a topic never taught in class.
She seemed nonplussed when he told her the news, she just stared without saying a word.
He was nonplussed by her announcement that she was quitting to travel the world for a year.
"Unfazed" means something does not affect or disturb you at all. You remain completely calm in the face of something that might have rattled others.
Despite the crowd and the noise, she remained completely unfazed and gave a brilliant speech.
He was unfazed by the difficult question, he had prepared for it and answered very calmly.
The experienced firefighter was unfazed by the chaos, she had seen far worse before.
Common mistake
"Nonplussed" means bewildered and at a complete loss, the exact opposite of "unfazed." Many confuse them because "non-" sounds like negation, but "nonplussed" comes from Latin "non plus" (no more): you are so bewildered you cannot proceed.
Trick to remember it
- •"Nonplussed" = bewildered, at a loss (wide eyes, speechless).
- •"Unfazed" = composed, unaffected, carries on.
- •They are exact opposites.
Quick rule
- •"Nonplussed" = bewildered, perplexed, at a total loss.
- •"Unfazed" = unaffected, calm and composed.
Did you know?
The confusion between NONPLUSSED and UNFAZED is an example of what linguist Arnold Zwicky called a "semantic flip": when the meaning of a word gradually inverts in popular speech until many educated speakers use it with the opposite meaning from the original. Other historical cases: TERRIFIC (originally = causing terror; now = excellent), AWFUL (originally = inspiring awe; now = horrible), SILLY (originally = blessed/happy in medieval English; now = foolish). English has a long history of words that have traveled a complete 180-degree semantic journey.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She was completely _____ by the loud bang. She just carried on eating her breakfast.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He was completely _____ by her sudden announcement. He didn't know what to say.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
"Bemused" = confused, bewildered, perplexed (not entertained); "amused" = entertained, finding something funny or entertaining.
"Discomfit" = to disconcert, unsettle, or frustrate someone; "discomfort" = to cause or feel physical or emotional unease.
"Fulsome" = excessively complimentary, fawning, or sycophantic to the point of insincerity; "full" = complete, filled to capacity, abundant.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy