befuddled
adjective
be·fud·dled
bi-ˈfə-dᵊld 
bē-
: utterly confused or puzzled : deeply perplexed
… somebody may be so befuddled and self-destructive as to miss the point entirely.—
Anne B. Fisher
Anne B. FisherI just asked her to please talk to my agent, who understood what was going on, not me. … frankly, I didn't know what to do, or whomto believe. I was totally befuddled.—John Nichols
John Nichols
Synonyms
- addle
- addled
- addlepated
- bedeviled
- befogged
- bemused
- bewildered
- bushed [chiefly Australian]
- confounded
- confused
- dazed
- distracted
- dizzy
- dopey
- dopy
- fogged
- mixed-up
- muddleheaded
- muzzy
- pixilated
- pixillated
- punch-drunk
- punchy
- raddled
- shell-shocked
- silly
- slaphappy
- spaced-out
- spaced
- spacey
- spacy
- stunned
- stupefied
- zonked
- zonked-out
Examples of befuddled in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Not unlike its befuddled protagonists, who can’t seem to translate meaning well into doing well.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 28 Sep. 2023
In his finer befuddled moments, that’s indeed how Gosling comes across.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
What keeps me up is a megalomaniac running against a befuddled guy on the verge of falling.
—WSJ, 20 June 2023
For folks who know Menzies from, say, The Crown or as a cad on Outlander, this breezy yet befuddled and neurotic turn will be eye-opening.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2023
Beginning pie makers may find themselves a bit befuddled as some of the recipes are written from the standpoint that the cook knows her way around the kitchen, while others break down every step with easy-to-follow instructions.
—Kelly Brant, Arkansas Online, 17 May 2023
One of the great pleasures of BlackBerry is watching Balsillie’s befuddled, running disgust at Lazaridis and Fregin’s hapless ways, at the chaotic ineptitude of their finances, their utter lack of business sense, their go-along-to-get-along management style.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
Some version of this befuddled inner monologue ran through many editors’ heads as Kate Moss sauntered down Bottega Veneta’s spring 2023 runway in Milan.
—wsj.com, 6 May 2023
The interactions between the guests often were on par with those titles, with some engaging in shouting matches and others throwing punches, all while Springer looked on, befuddled or bemused.
—Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 27 Apr. 2023
See More
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 28 Sep. 2023
In his finer befuddled moments, that’s indeed how Gosling comes across.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
What keeps me up is a megalomaniac running against a befuddled guy on the verge of falling.
—WSJ, 20 June 2023
For folks who know Menzies from, say, The Crown or as a cad on Outlander, this breezy yet befuddled and neurotic turn will be eye-opening.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2023
Beginning pie makers may find themselves a bit befuddled as some of the recipes are written from the standpoint that the cook knows her way around the kitchen, while others break down every step with easy-to-follow instructions.
—Kelly Brant, Arkansas Online, 17 May 2023
One of the great pleasures of BlackBerry is watching Balsillie’s befuddled, running disgust at Lazaridis and Fregin’s hapless ways, at the chaotic ineptitude of their finances, their utter lack of business sense, their go-along-to-get-along management style.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
Some version of this befuddled inner monologue ran through many editors’ heads as Kate Moss sauntered down Bottega Veneta’s spring 2023 runway in Milan.
—wsj.com, 6 May 2023
The interactions between the guests often were on par with those titles, with some engaging in shouting matches and others throwing punches, all while Springer looked on, befuddled or bemused.
—Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 27 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'befuddled.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1838, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near befuddled
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/befuddled. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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