as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in puzzled
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of befuddled
Alida Becker, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Then Aunt Phoebe joins in the gaslighting, and a befuddled Lydia is ushered away for some dinner.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
Take a recent episode about cruises, which featured Ben Stiller, Quinta Brunson, and Mulaney’s frequent comedy partner Nick Kroll, along with a befuddled industry expert named Anne Kalosh.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
Black co-stars with Day, Dismukes, and Fineman as the befuddled audience members, loudly chiming in from the front row after every line to reply.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Adjective
Inspired by the historical figure known as Lambert Simnel, THE PRETENDER (Knopf, 471 pp., $30) is a rollicking account of a befuddled boy’s pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Then Aunt Phoebe joins in the gaslighting, and a befuddled Lydia is ushered away for some dinner.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
Take a recent episode about cruises, which featured Ben Stiller, Quinta Brunson, and Mulaney’s frequent comedy partner Nick Kroll, along with a befuddled industry expert named Anne Kalosh.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
Black co-stars with Day, Dismukes, and Fineman as the befuddled audience members, loudly chiming in from the front row after every line to reply.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled
Adjective
-
Olivia, bewildered and frightened, runs to the vast body of Tierra del Fuego to look for him.—
Jason Liwag,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Whites, bewildered and self-righteous, would find their way to Reagan.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The woman called her daughter but was too dazed to explain what had happened.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Aug. 2025
-
After successfully nabbing one, the dazed comedian flicked her hair back and stumbled out of the wind machine to reveal the winning number.—
Emlyn Travis,
EW.com,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
With no federal law protecting online information and just a patchwork of state privacy laws, many Americans are confused and concerned about how their online information is used, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
-
The memo was welcome for taxpayers who were confused about limits resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made another tweak.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
El Financiero also reported that authorities are investigating whether the accident was caused by excessive speed or distracted driving.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
In high school, she was disorganized and distracted.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
If those two regularly start games together alongside Solanke or Richarlison, opposition defences will be left feeling dizzy.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
-
Over at the theme park's Universal Studios, a 72-year-old woman reported feeling weak and dizzy after spending time on the Jimmy Fallon Race Through New York attraction in May.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share