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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bamboozled
Lenders are more easily bamboozled by fake spreadsheets than by fake factories.
—
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bamboozled
Verb
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From around January to June 2022, the couple tricked unknowing subordinates into adding fake vendors to the company's system, officials said.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
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But savvy marketing campaigns and partnerships with major employers have tricked consumers into turning back to payday loans.—
Christopher Greenwood,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The decision has baffled Apatow’s team and inner circle.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
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One administrator told me that he was baffled, but that the embassy staff seemed confident that something would come of it.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The viral claim has been confirmed as satire by both local law enforcement and independent fact-checkers — but before the truth caught up, the story had already reached countless feeds and fooled plenty of readers along the way.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
17 Mar. 2026
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Tatum then isolated against the Spurs big man, fooled him with an up-fake, finished at the rim and smiled after being shoved to the ground.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After the crash, passengers were confused and screaming in panic, Liquori said.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
23 Mar. 2026
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The verified account, @realanndowd (not to be confused with Bald Ann Dowd), made its first post on March 18 — finally ending the torturous 5,642-day dry spell of there being no Ann Dowd on the app.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Svetlana Petriychuk wrote the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, based on real events, about Russian women deceived into marrying ISIS fighters and traveling to Syria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
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Veteran Vietnam correspondent Neil Sheehan broke the story of the Pentagon Papers, which showed how government officials deceived the public about the Vietnam war.—
Kathy Kiely,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the 2000 play, now in a Shotgun Players production directed by Kevin Clarke, Martin is puzzled by himself.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
15 Mar. 2026
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At first, McCutchen was puzzled.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, many millions of Americans are bewildered by events.—
David French,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Oswalt confesses being bewildered by Bamford at first.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These are the brutally real snapshots of a man well acquainted with—but still perplexed by—the powerful and destructive forces that lord over our lives.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
4 Mar. 2026
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Hour said he was perplexed by his liberal friends expressing their condolences.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bamboozled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozled. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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