Meanings
prepositional phrase
- idiomaticNot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability.
I'm at a loss how to proceed.
2 more examples
I have fixed the parts I understand, and the rest leaves me at a loss.
His policies may be ineffective, but he is never at a loss for words.
Synonyms: at sea, bewildered, stumped, up a tree
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseNot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivefilled with bewilderment
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek ἄπορος
- ἄπορος (áporos)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Catalan a pèrdua
- a pèrduabelow the cost or price of purchase
Chinese Mandarin 虧本 /亏本, 賠本 /赔本
- 虧本 /亏本 (kuīběn)below the cost or price of purchase
- 賠本 /赔本 (péiběn)below the cost or price of purchase
- 蝕本 /蚀本 (shíběn)below the cost or price of purchase
- 困惑不解 (kùnhuòbùjiě)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- 茫然 (mángrán)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- 不知所措 (bùzhīsuǒcuò)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Czech bezradný
- bezradnýnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Danish rådvild
- rådvildnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Dutch met verlies
- met verliesbelow the cost or price of purchase
Esperanto ne scias kiel
- ne scias kielnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Finnish tappiollisesti, tappiolla
- tappiollisestibelow the cost or price of purchase
- tappiollabelow the cost or price of purchase
- neuvotonnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- avutonnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
French à perte, perdu
- à pertebelow the cost or price of purchase
- perdunot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- complètement perdunot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
German ratlos, auf dem Schlauch stehen
- ratlosnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- auf dem Schlauch stehennot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Hungarian áron alul, tanácstalan
- áron alulbelow the cost or price of purchase
- tanácstalannot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- fogalma sincsnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Icelandic með tapi, hallarekstur
- með tapibelow the cost or price of purchase
- hallareksturbelow the cost or price of purchase
- tapreksturbelow the cost or price of purchase
- ráðþrotanot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- ráðvillturnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- ráðalausnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- vefjast tunga um tönnnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- fallast hendurnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- eins og álfur út úr hólnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- koma af fjöllumnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- verða orðfallnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- verða svarafáttnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Japanese 途方に暮れる
- 途方に暮れるnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Māori whakamāpuna, pākira
- whakamāpunanot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- pākiranot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- pōkīkīnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- tāhurihurinot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- rōrīnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- pōkaikahanot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Norwegian rådvill, på bærtur
- rådvillnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- på bærturnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Norwegian Bokmål rådløs
- rådløsnot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Polish ze stratą, w rozterce
- ze stratąbelow the cost or price of purchase
- w roztercenot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Portuguese perdido, desorientado
- perdidonot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- desorientadonot sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Russian с убы́тком, в убы́ток
- с убы́тком (s ubýtkom)below the cost or price of purchase
- в убы́ток (v ubýtok)below the cost or price of purchase
- в замеша́тельстве (v zamešátelʹstve)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- расте́рянный (rastérjannyj)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- в недоуме́нии (v nedouménii)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- в расте́рянности (v rastérjannosti)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
- в затрудне́нии (v zatrudnénii)not sure; uncertain; lacking further ideas, direction, or ability
Spanish a pérdida
- a pérdidabelow the cost or price of purchase
Turkish zararına
- zararınabelow the cost or price of purchase
Cite this entry
APA
at a loss. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20a%20loss
MLA
“at a loss.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20a%20loss. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at a loss,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20a%20loss.
Source: at a loss on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.