as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in baffled
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of befuddled
Paige Williams, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Watts then looks toward the Kardashians camera and flashes a befuddled look.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Stainton Williams has been similarly befuddled by his interactions with Citizens.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Adjective
During the third quarter, the stadium emptied; on the sideline, Belichick looked befuddled, constantly fiddling with his headset.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Watts then looks toward the Kardashians camera and flashes a befuddled look.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
And the offensive operation looked much smoother, as Payton meshed the Colts to death and befuddled their defense on a second-quarter touchdown in which tight end Adam Trautman split out wide.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Stainton Williams has been similarly befuddled by his interactions with Citizens.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled
Adjective
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The tragedy at first bewildered law enforcement in both states, as investigators were unsure why Miller traveled to Utah or why the three women were killed.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Kokuho was her very first film, and the prospect of attending the Academy Awards astonished and baffled her.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When Sneaky Snook in his mail truck happened upon the wreckage near the boundary of Meredith Downs, sheep were scattered along the roadside and the fence, bleating, dazed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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Still, some songs can disrupt our dazed habit of barely listening and give us something to participate in.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Now, a growing chorus of tech leaders is singing the praises of AI as the key to solving the medical mystery that has puzzled physicians for millennia.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The poor rott just stood there with its tail tucked between its legs, puzzled.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Immediately disoriented, confused and dizzy.—
Scott Pelley,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Current ride-share insurance minimums already leave many victims undercompensated and confused.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 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
-
Hour said he was perplexed by his liberal friends expressing their condolences.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The stunned sibling couldn’t believe his last words to Chris would be so ordinary, yet so profound in light of what happened.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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The short film shows the singer walking through New York City in real time, playing his songs on subway cars and various spots around the city, and leaving a trail of stunned fans in his wake.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And disrupted sleep can spell distracted or fatigued driving.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Gatz attributed the increases to excessive speed and distracted driving.—
Barbara Hoberock,
Oklahoma Voice,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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