Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense boggles, present participle boggling, past tense, past participle boggled
1. verb
If you say that the mind bogglesat something or that something boggles the mind, you mean that it is so strange or amazing that it is difficult to imagine or understand.
The mind boggles at the possibilities that could be in store for us. [VERB + at]
The good grace with which they face the latest privations makes the mind boggle. [VERB]
The management group's decision still boggled his mind. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: confuse, surprise, shock, amaze More Synonyms of boggle
2. See also mind-boggling
More Synonyms of boggle
boggle in British English
(ˈbɒɡəl)
verb(intransitive; often foll byat)
1.
to be surprised, confused, or alarmed (esp in the phrase the mind boggles)
2.
to hesitate or be evasive when confronted with a problem
3. (transitive)
to baffle; bewilder; puzzle
Word origin
C16: probably variant of bogle1
boggle in American English
(ˈbɑgəl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈboggled or ˈboggling
1.
to be startled or frightened (at); shy away
2.
to hesitate (at); have scruples
3.
to be or become confused or overwhelmed as by something very difficult, surprising, vast, etc.
verb transitive
4.
to bungle or botch
5. US
to confuse or overwhelm (the mind, imagination, etc.)
noun
6.
an act or instance of boggling
Word origin
< Scot bogle, specter; prob. < ME bugge, specter (as in bugbear); now assoc. with bungle
Synonyms of 'boggle'
wonder, gaze, be amazed, marvel
confuse, surprise, shock, amaze
hesitate, falter, waver, dither
More Synonyms of boggle
1 (verb)
Definition
to be surprised, confused, or alarmed
The mind boggles at the possibilities.
Synonyms
wonder
I wondered at the arrogance of the man.
gaze
be amazed
marvel
Her fellow workers marvelled at her infinite energy.
be taken aback
be awed
be filled with surprise
2 (verb)
The management group's decision still boggles his mind.
Synonyms
confuse
surprise
We'll solve the case ourselves and surprise everyone.
shock
Relief workers were shocked by what they saw.
amaze
He amazed us with his knowledge of local history.
stun
Many cinema-goers were stunned by the film's violent and tragic end.
astonish
Her dedication astonishes me.
stagger
The whole thing staggers me.
bewilder
The silence from her sister had hurt and bewildered her.
astound
He used to astound us with feats of physical endurance.
daze
We were dazed by the sheer size of the spectacle.
confound
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.
bowl over
stupefy
The aim is to shock, upset, stupefy, or just plain scare them.
dumbfound
The question dumbfounded him.
flabbergast
3 (verb)
Definition
to hesitate or be evasive when confronted with a problem
Many people boggled at engaging in a full-scale war.
Synonyms
hesitate
I will not hesitate to take unpopular decisions.
falter
I have not faltered in my quest for a new future.
waver
Some military commanders wavered over whether to support the coup.
dither mainly British)
We're still dithering over whether to go away on holiday next week.
shrink
jib
demur
At first I demurred when he asked me to do it.
vacillate
She is vacillating over whether or not to marry him.
hang back
His closest advisors believe he should hang back no longer.