as in baffling
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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as in perplexing
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Recent Examples of befuddling
Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
That's why makes Seattle's decision to part ways with Martinez that much more befuddling.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddling
Verb
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One morning, members of the Fort Greely missile defense base spot an ICBM of unknown origin on a suborbital trajectory heading straight for Chicago, baffling the country’s top intelligence and defense teams who only have 18 minutes to respond before impact.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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But there were strengths here, too, none more than England’s impervious Lazarus complex, that baffling inability to know when one is in a state of emergency.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The sheriff’s office was called, and initially the deaths were deemed suspicious, though the situation seemed more perplexing than criminal.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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In a whirlwind year for the organization, his slump was one of the more perplexing developments.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Chemical clues from another world What makes these observations particularly intriguing and puzzling is the detection of nickel without concurrent detection of iron above our instrumental limits.—
Darryl Seligman,
Space.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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There was, however, one puzzling factor.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What is the most confounding and terrible, however, is Gretchen’s assertion that Slade, the anti-Viagra, doesn’t get involved with the women on his own accord, but only engages because the women always talk about him.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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The offense’s struggles are the most confounding.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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Its ginormous investments in higher-value, tech-heavy sectors from smartphones to autos to semiconductors to biotechnology are disrupting the global landscape at bewildering speed.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Even after his plea deal and his admission of guilt, Ozer was allegedly telling confusing and conflicting stories about the cause of his problems.—
Steve Belanger,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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The issue came up on Thursday's live episode after the Oscar-winning Ghost star introduced a Hot Topic about Democratic Maine politician Graham Platner's problematic past — which segued into a confusing admission by the 69-year-old Hollywood legend.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On top of this dismaying thought comes the realization that the AI is available 24x7 and at a low cost or perhaps even free.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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But the drum sound wasn’t nearly as dismaying as the studio’s piano, which kept slipping out of tune.—
Peter Ames Carlin,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The findings are deeply disconcerting.—
Stephanie Silverman,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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And things grow even more disconcerting when Miss Giddens begins seeing things and hearing voices.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddling. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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