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
But public criticism, questions and bafflement have surrounded the decision to set out from the huts at Frog Lake in the middle of the season’s fiercest storm.
—
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Its inclusion on the album has long been a cause of bafflement among Bowie fans, not least as it was originally recorded for Hunky Dory.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
The Ella McCay trend, originated by a Twitter user named Michael Roberts, began as a tribute born out of simultaneous admiration and bafflement.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Just silence and forlorn stares of players stuck in a state of bafflement and disappointment.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2025
In a new interview with GQ, the star expressed bafflement over Nicki Minaj‘s targeting her on social media — and sidestepped Kendrick Lamar‘s beef with Drake.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
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
The Oregon Coast, to Gracie's constant bafflement, feels almost entirely undeveloped—the by-product, like so many atmospheric mysteries, of long-ago legislation.
—Alice Gregory, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2025
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Its inclusion on the album has long been a cause of bafflement among Bowie fans, not least as it was originally recorded for Hunky Dory.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
The Ella McCay trend, originated by a Twitter user named Michael Roberts, began as a tribute born out of simultaneous admiration and bafflement.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Just silence and forlorn stares of players stuck in a state of bafflement and disappointment.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2025
In a new interview with GQ, the star expressed bafflement over Nicki Minaj‘s targeting her on social media — and sidestepped Kendrick Lamar‘s beef with Drake.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
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
The Oregon Coast, to Gracie's constant bafflement, feels almost entirely undeveloped—the by-product, like so many atmospheric mysteries, of long-ago legislation.
—Alice Gregory, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bafflement
Noun
-
Thirty-one years after founding the Vans Warped Tour, the pop-punk patriarch is looking at the modern music industry with a mixture of confusion and frustration.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The result is not merely confusion about who is responsible but a gradual weakening of the expectations that make responsibility meaningful at all.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There will also be a bit of patchy fog.—
Andrew Kozak,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
My dog looked on in bewilderment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Last week, numerous contradictions and U-turns by the White House and National Governors Association (NGA) led to sweeping bewilderment about the status of the association’s annual meeting with the president.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Oklo exemplifies both the promise and the perplexity associated with the rebirth of nuclear power.—
Bob Woods,
CNBC,
9 Nov. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Bafflement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bafflement. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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