1
as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to perplex
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
she was baffled by the wording of the clause in the insurance policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in perplexing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in thwarting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in frustrating
to prevent from achieving a goal
the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
she was baffled by the wording of the clause in the insurance policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of baffle
Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Instead, Chan's team taught Liu how to juggle, which baffled her.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 9 Dec. 2025
The lofty 90/10 duck down stays in place in the thick baffles, and the jacket has added design elements that add both protection and style.
—Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
Thomas Patier, Artforum, 27 Jan. 2026
In a somewhat baffling aside that failed to meet the moment, Jordan Klepper popped in, supposedly live from Minneapolis, to satirize the ever-shifting goalposts of the administration’s justifications for Pretti’s death.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
One morning, members of the Fort Greely missile defense base spot an ICBM of unknown origin on a suborbital trajectory heading straight for Chicago, baffling the country’s top intelligence and defense teams who only have 18 minutes to respond before impact.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffle
Verb
Later novels routinely took inspiration from family members or former or current lovers; the 1980 novel that baffled Frank Kermode is a dreamlike fable about a man guiltily trying to have an extramarital affair.
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Instead, Chan's team taught Liu how to juggle, which baffled her.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
The baffle box construction keeps everything secure and evenly distributed.
—Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 9 Dec. 2025
The lofty 90/10 duck down stays in place in the thick baffles, and the jacket has added design elements that add both protection and style.
—Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
By their very existence, his baffling, colorful, alternative technologies explore the realm of the possible in a field typically associated with automation and uniformity.
—Thomas Patier, Artforum, 27 Jan. 2026
In a somewhat baffling aside that failed to meet the moment, Jordan Klepper popped in, supposedly live from Minneapolis, to satirize the ever-shifting goalposts of the administration’s justifications for Pretti’s death.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
That said, the good outweighs the baffling.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
As if dark energy weren't already mysterious and baffling enough, new research suggests that this unknown force may not be driving galaxies apart at an accelerating rate anymore.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
One morning, members of the Fort Greely missile defense base spot an ICBM of unknown origin on a suborbital trajectory heading straight for Chicago, baffling the country’s top intelligence and defense teams who only have 18 minutes to respond before impact.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffle
Adjective
-
The oven was equally perplexing.—
Jason Fried,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
-
It’s been part of a perplexing trend this season for Peterson, who has missed 10 full games and notable portions of 10 others with nagging injuries.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
New research suggests that dark matter, the universe's most puzzling and mysterious substance, may not exist.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The economy is in a puzzling place.—
Paul Wiseman,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Frady is caught in something confusing and unexpected, his stance of paranoid preparedness unable to outmaneuver this, and what’s coming.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Jama says his arrest was confusing and scary.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Francisco Lindor was expected to be the captain of the team, but in a frustrating turn of events for the Puerto Rican team, he was denied the insurance needed to participate.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
-
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Rescue Barrier Balm When Associate Editor Katie Akin began dealing with frustrating dry patches this winter, First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Rescue Barrier Balm truly came to the rescue.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Voters are also distressed by the decline in their quality of life, as well as the country’s muddled political landscape – a fact indicated by the twenty candidates for president alone.—
Djenane Villanueva,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Ridley recommends using gel polishes for a deer print mani, since the curing step locks each layer in, keeping them from blurring together and becoming a muddled mess.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
James’ beats fractured into a newly bewildering density.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
21 Jan. 2026
-
That the novel is imperfect, often bewildering, and sometimes a mess is not the point.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The signing, as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, adds an experienced glove to a disorganized Boston infield.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The black-and-white images of the 350 GT, Miura, and Countach being hand-built here—often at a rate of less than one car per day—are wonderfully evocative, but the assembly hall also looks dusty and disorganized.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Baffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffle. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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