as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
most of the applicants were befuddled by the wording of one of the questions on the driving test
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Recent Examples of befuddle
The two-term governor received criticism for being too congenial with his Republican rival and seemingly befuddled in the national spotlight for most of the 90-minute debate.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2024
But no one was more befuddled by their presence than Fallon himself, who couldn’t even bring himself to go through the motions of the interview.
—Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024
The Crimson Tide’s case consists of wins over No. 7 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina and No. 21 Missouri, judged against three losses: to Vanderbilt by five, at Playoff-bound Tennessee and last week’s befuddling 24-3 defeat at Oklahoma.
—Kennington Smith Iii, The Athletic, 1 Dec. 2024
Ward was the kind of masterful boxer who could potentially befuddle Paul given the opportunity.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for befuddle 
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2024
But no one was more befuddled by their presence than Fallon himself, who couldn’t even bring himself to go through the motions of the interview.
—Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024
The Crimson Tide’s case consists of wins over No. 7 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina and No. 21 Missouri, judged against three losses: to Vanderbilt by five, at Playoff-bound Tennessee and last week’s befuddling 24-3 defeat at Oklahoma.
—Kennington Smith Iii, The Athletic, 1 Dec. 2024
Ward was the kind of masterful boxer who could potentially befuddle Paul given the opportunity.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for befuddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddle
Verb
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The animals are nervous, exhausted, aggressive and bewildered by this alarming change to their routine.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2025
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His childhood friends from Thunder Bay and his teammates on the Canadian national team seemed bewildered by the charges against him.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement The enforcement has perplexed local immigrant advocates, who questioned why the Biden administration was using its final weeks to target Central Valley migrant workers for deportation.—
Rachel Uranga,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
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The situation has perplexed Indian legal experts, with no precedent from which to work.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Evans believes a lack of planning is largely to blame for our productivity failures, and warns people not to confuse being busy with being productive.—
Barnaby Lashbrooke,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
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Penn State’s receivers won’t be confused for an elite group, but tight end Tyler Warren is the top player in the country at that position, and the running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton is one of the nation’s best.—
Antonio Morales,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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And like so many fans, Pomeroy is baffled by the CFP selection process.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2025
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Returning to a solely home console or handheld game system would be baffling (though handheld- or console-only variants like the Nintendo Switch Lite aren't out of the question as alternative models).—
Will Greenwald,
PCMAG,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Algorithm glitches are one facet of a dilemma that computer scientists and doctors have long acknowledged but that is starting to puzzle hospital executives and researchers: Artificial intelligence systems require consistent monitoring and staffing to put in place and to keep them working well.—
Darius Tahir | KFF Health News,
ABC News,
10 Jan. 2025
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What's more, the coverage gap puzzled people who often paid different amounts for the same drug from month to month, Cubanski said.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA TODAY,
8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near befuddle
Cite this Entry
“Befuddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddle. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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