Definition of bafflednext
as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do baffled viewers didn't know what to make of the strange antics of the talk show host

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

baffled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of baffle
1
2

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 baffled
Adjective
What baffled Russell was the difference in straight-line speed. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 21 July 2026 The cat’s baffled loss takes center stage while the human mourner remains on the sidelines. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Verb
Apple's stubborn insistence on keeping base iPhones at 60Hz while budget Android phones offer zippier refresh rates has always baffled me. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026 On September 8, 2026, OpenAI announced that an artificial intelligence model may have solved one of the most significant problems in the field, the infamous Navier-Stokes problem, which had baffled countless mathematicians for decades. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for baffled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffled
Adjective
  • Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • College football fans were a little perplexed as to why the flag wasn’t thrown.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • And the coach of the supposedly Super Bowl-favorite Rams is frustrated.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • This is in fact the same problem that has frustrated earlier attempts by the United States and its allies to stop antiship drone and missile strikes by the Houthis in Yemen.
    — Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That the Houthis are able to score hits from 500 miles away, despite the Saudi military spending tens of billions of dollars on multi-layered air defense systems, has puzzled experts.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • He was puzzled when, after 2021, the number of children going into foster care dropped, but the state's costs for child welfare were rising.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • What appears before the bewildered trio is a boy with a face resembling a frog’s, named Fūsuke.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The domestic economy is otherwise moribund, hampered by bad debts and a shrinking labor force.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Special teams miscues and penalties once again hampered the Rams in a game that featured three touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford and a career-best 17 catches by Puka Nacua.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Not to be confused with the football the Chargers play in that same stadium.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Phone notifications open via app casting, but the system gets confused easily.
    — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • By the time Lee’s moved on to thanking his dad for not believing him, thereby giving him something to prove, an embarrassed Frances is making a quick run for the exit.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Dallas got thoroughly embarrassed at home by a winless Buccaneers squad, surrendering 241 rushing yards and making an 0-4 offense look explosive.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Baffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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