baffling

adjective

baf·​fling ˈba-f(ə-)liŋ 

: extremely confusing or difficult to understand

a baffling decision

found the directions utterly baffling

bafflingly adverb

a bafflingly complex explanation

Examples of baffling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The move is even more baffling given that Pluma represents the bigger música Mexicana movement, which had unmatched commercial and cultural momentum in 2023. —Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023

However, some of the most baffling stories are those of human disappearances. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Aug. 2023

This means having to face some utterly baffling narrative turns along the way. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2023

This observation should have been baffling: Volcanism requires an internal heat source, and Io, like the other icy moons, should have been nothing more than embers. —Quanta Magazine, 2 Nov. 2023

The absence of any female artists in the lineup is baffling — and inexcusable. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2023

For Secret Service agents and officers as well as residential staff, the president’s failure to take decisive action sooner has been baffling and frustrating, people close to them say. —Peter Baker, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023

Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch had some baffling health tracking omissions despite being powered by Fitbit’s platform. —Victoria Song, The Verge, 21 Aug. 2023

But for right-wing commenters and influencers, his baffling disappearance is only further proof that the country’s top law enforcement agency is to blame for acts of domestic terror. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined above