as in perplexing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in thwarting
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1
as in frustrating
to prevent from achieving a goal
the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
she was baffled by the wording of the clause in the insurance policy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of baffling
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Joe, of course, picks Eva, and everyone collectively is just letting this strong duo go unchecked, which is baffling to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Trader Joe’s is one of the greatest success stories in American grocery stores—the stuff of business-school case studies and rapturous (and, honestly, sometimes baffling) consumer behavior.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Though there were some baffling mistakes leading to quality Kings’ chances, especially in Los Angeles, the goalies haven’t exactly been up to the task either.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Adjective
Cleveland still needs to add to the offensive line and wide receiver groups, so reaching for Gabriel to end the draft’s second night is just baffling.
—Zac Jackson, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Joe, of course, picks Eva, and everyone collectively is just letting this strong duo go unchecked, which is baffling to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Trader Joe’s is one of the greatest success stories in American grocery stores—the stuff of business-school case studies and rapturous (and, honestly, sometimes baffling) consumer behavior.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Though there were some baffling mistakes leading to quality Kings’ chances, especially in Los Angeles, the goalies haven’t exactly been up to the task either.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffling
Adjective
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Even more perplexing: If shutting off service to new customers without an account is their strict policy, why wait until Friday to execute it?—
Ryan Minton,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Part of the reason structures like the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall are so perplexing to scientists has to do with the cosmological principle, which most models of the cosmos are founded upon.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
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Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Tyler expresses frustration in hearing that from him and not from Brandon and Theresa themselves.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
23 May 2025
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Trump has expressed growing frustration with the rulings.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The more important goal here is to achieve deterrence, similar to the stalemate in the Cold War with the Soviet Union that was based on nuclear weapons.—
Iain Boyd,
The Conversation,
22 May 2025
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Autonomous systems capable of deterrence without human vulnerability.—
Amir Husain,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Both English teams have been experiencing frustrating, parallel worlds as the pair have struggled mightily in the Premier League.—
David Close,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
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The New York Mets scored three runs in the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie en route to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox on a frustrating night.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
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In that case, however, Anand managed to secure a checkmate after 29 days of play.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
21 May 2025
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In the second, Eze again ceded the advantage, but ruthlessly capitalised on a costly blunder with a rapid-fire checkmate to seal the win and the tournament.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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But by the end, Sirens shifts gears again and descends into bewildering melodrama with a nonsensical final twist that feels tacked on for the sake of having a big final twist.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
22 May 2025
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His message after another bewildering loss was that what’s done is done.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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As each attendee enters and takes off their shoes and adds them to the disorganized pile near the front of the door, a host asks them their intention for the evening.—
Lina Abascal,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2025
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Gilroy’s dark wit has been used sparingly in Andor, but the sniping in between the disorganized sorta-rebels is a comic highlight.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffling. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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