as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
most of the applicants were befuddled by the wording of one of the questions on the driving test
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Recent Examples of befuddle
If some readers were befuddled by Mr. Holland’s strange and magical imagery, graphic artists were entranced.
—
Penelope Green, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
The scientists who developed the original set of guidelines for REDs are also befuddled.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2025
The decision to reconsider law firms appeared to befuddle a few board members in public meetings leading up to the decision.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2025
Wall Street analysts have been befuddled by Trump’s vision of bringing manufacturing operations back to the US, something that would be extremely costly and take years if not decades to accomplish.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddle
Penelope Green, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
The scientists who developed the original set of guidelines for REDs are also befuddled.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2025
The decision to reconsider law firms appeared to befuddle a few board members in public meetings leading up to the decision.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2025
Wall Street analysts have been befuddled by Trump’s vision of bringing manufacturing operations back to the US, something that would be extremely costly and take years if not decades to accomplish.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddle
Verb
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These reactions are just the tip of the iceberg, as the football world continues to be bewildered at Sanders being available heading into the fourth round on Saturday.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Across the street, her husband Steve, who nursed Molly through her first fight with breast cancer a few years earlier, sits bewildered in the office of their couples therapist.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Multiple current and former FDA officials said they were perplexed by Makary's claim, given the push for longer trips in the past had been an efficiency measure intended to result in the agency being able to complete more inspections.—
Paula Cohen,
CBS News,
6 May 2025
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Archaeologists were perplexed by a strange pair of discs found in Oman – only to discover these items were actually a single 4,000-year-old instrument.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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While no one should ever have confused the entertainment business with a warm binkie, the institutions themselves are in the new and awkward spot of having to justify their existence.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
12 May 2025
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All of the footage from The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon makes the show-within-a-show look silly, which the series confuses with humorousness.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Some were baffled by Perry’s dancing and said the show looked cheap.—
Courtney Lane,
Kansas City Star,
11 May 2025
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The complexities of her character mirrored in her stony, resentful stare, in her grim, unforgiving mouth, will always baffle and enthrall.—
E.R. Zarevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
7 May 2025
Verb
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Listen to this article In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery merged HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming app called Max, with the puzzling decision to remove the HBO from the streaming app’s brand.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
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That drop has puzzled the Dodgers and the right-hander alike.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddle. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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