1
as in tricked
to cause to believe what is untrue
bamboozled by con men into buying worthless land in the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
I'm completely bamboozled by the latest changes in the tax code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bamboozled
Way back in 2018, Gaines and Riley were running split-back formations and leaving opposing defenses bamboozled while playing for the 12-and-under Moreno Valley Falcons in the heart of Southern California.
—
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Lenders are more easily bamboozled by fake spreadsheets than by fake factories.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Lenders are more easily bamboozled by fake spreadsheets than by fake factories.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bamboozled
Verb
-
Not long before Brettler's death, Sharma had learned the kid had tricked him.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Read how North Korean hackers tricked Ben and got into his computer.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises a few weeks ago, were baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the global price spike is due to the Middle East conflict that restricted oil exports.—
Brian Melley,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
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Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price increases two weeks ago, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the global price spike is due to the conflict in the Mideast that has restricted oil exports.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Don’t be fooled by Morejón’s unsightly ERA.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In person, the author Freida McFadden (her nom de plume) has a sweet, shy demeanor—but don’t be fooled.—
E.L. James,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The south London BBQers were confused.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Microphones are a tool for speaking out loud, or singing, before a crowd, and Lee uses the object as a symbol of her own desire to speak and be understood, even when she is confused by competing cultures and unsure of her own voice.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The firm says it was deceived again in June 2022, when IQHQ restructured and moved investor interests into a Delaware limited partnership structure.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His award recognizes his contributions to settle several questions in differential geometry that had puzzled mathematicians since the 1970s and 1980s.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
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The diminutive scale of Giacometti’s proposal—a nondescript bust atop a small square base—puzzled his colleagues.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now, many millions of Americans are bewildered by events.—
David French,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Oswalt confesses being bewildered by Bamford at first.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Stocks’ march higher in the face of deepening geopolitical uncertainty is leaving some on Wall Street increasingly perplexed.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bamboozled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozled. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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