as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
his complete bafflement as to the point of the joke was in itself funny
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Recent Examples of bafflement
There are black-and-white scenes from what appears to be a cracked Biblical drama featuring a levitating monk and, to the particular bafflement of the producer, a dancing Pulcinella.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
If the book’s prismatic structure and subjective immediacy feel baffling to encounter, that is because bafflement is the point.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
If the book’s prismatic structure and subjective immediacy feel baffling to encounter, that is because bafflement is the point.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bafflement
Noun
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Indeed, there has been confusion over how many shots were fired when Finicum was killed and who fired them.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
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But that means there’s even more opportunity for confusion.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Citations for not having headlights on during rain, fog or smoke and for not wearing a seatbelt were also dismissed.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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In the summer of 2025, the Faroes experienced a heat wave of sorts, with temperatures up to the low twenties (Celsius) and several days of almost no rain and fog only in the morning.—
Mattias Goldmann,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Pan’s final pages are a kaleidoscope of phantasmagoria and philosophic bewilderment, a refusal of closure and clarity that is seemingly—and fittingly—designed to give readers a heavy dose of, to use the clinical term, derealization.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
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When that turned into mass annihilation, the most frequent Israeli excuse was the population’s state of shock, trauma, exhaustion and bewilderment, the sensation of being under threat from outsiders and in imminent danger.—
Uriel Kon
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bafflement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bafflement. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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