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

I 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

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

Shrimp Jesus: Outlandish images that appear to be generated by artificial intelligence are racking up reactions on Facebook, leaving users amused, befuddled and on guard for scams. —Angela Yang, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2024

In the 15th century, the befuddled derangement of the English King Henry VI — possibly a hereditary schizophrenia — helped to light the fuse of the Wars of the Roses. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024

The show begins with the mystical Rafiki, the spirit shaman who is outside the story, but will interject herself at a crucial period when a confused Simba — in his befuddled, wandering phase — is finding his way. —Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024

The actor's desperate, befuddled delivery of the film's last line makes for one of the most effective finales of his career. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2023

Behar replied, looking around the table with a befuddled look on her face. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2024

In a sneak peek released on Thursday, fans get a glimpse at the lustful intrigue — not to mention befuddled flirtation! —Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024

His dad, Sir James (Richard E. Grant), gives the appearance of having stepped out of the pages of a P.G. Wodehouse novel but’s too befuddled to find his way back. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2023

Coppard himself, however—and, thus, the reader—sees clearly into the depths of the beloved woman’s vulnerable heart and mind, even while the lovestruck suitor or the befuddled husband or the overprotective father or the dismissive brother or son cannot catch a glimpse. —Russell Banks, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above