as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
his complete bafflement as to the point of the joke was in itself funny
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Recent Examples of bafflement
There are black-and-white scenes from what appears to be a cracked Biblical drama featuring a levitating monk and, to the particular bafflement of the producer, a dancing Pulcinella.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
If the book’s prismatic structure and subjective immediacy feel baffling to encounter, that is because bafflement is the point.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
If the book’s prismatic structure and subjective immediacy feel baffling to encounter, that is because bafflement is the point.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bafflement
Noun
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The campaign immediately received backlash and prompted confusion from doctors who dismissed its effectiveness.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Rookie Pat Bryant, split out wide, had his hands outstretched in confusion for six full seconds before the ball was actually snapped.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Defense Secretary, meanwhile, vanishes into a personal fog, thinking only of his daughter (Kaitlyn Dever), who lives in Chicago.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Particularly in the case of the latter two galaxies, the radio jets seem to be interacting with the intra-cluster medium, which is a thick fog of hot plasma that fills galaxy clusters, and this interaction is shaping both the jets and the radio rings.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a marked contrast to the undisguised anger, bitter satire, and clear-eyed analysis of his colleagues, bewilderment became the theme of his monologue.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
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Other residents in the neighborhood have expressed their bewilderment over the incident.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Eagles’ 21-17 Sunday loss to the Denver Broncos contained the perplexity that has in the past provoked fans to picket outside the NovaCare Complex’s gates.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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Watch with any attention, and one begins to see his tricks: the squinty perplexity, the restless hands, the worry lines deepened in concentration, then suddenly relaxed.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bafflement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bafflement. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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