BEFUDDLED Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

befuddled 1 of 2

adjective

bi-ˈfə-dᵊld

Definition of befuddled

as in bewildered

suffering from mental confusion the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

befuddled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of befuddle

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of befuddled

Adjective

The befuddled host is left to shake his head as the trio wander off. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026 The Tea Party sprang out of the grass roots and roared at befuddled Congressional representatives in town halls across the country. — Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026

Verb

And, of course, onstage in his act, in which the 47-year-old comedian from Old Hickory, Tennessee, adopts the persona of a middle-aged everyschlub befuddled by modern life and expectations of basic competence. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026 Expecting to catch their limit this week, the Dodgers were instead befuddled by the Miami Marlins, who had most of the answers from the mound and just enough from the plate. — Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for befuddled

Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled

Adjective

Five o’clock Saturday, the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is fist-pumping a half-bewildered but fully enthused home crowd.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
When kids first got online, parents were bewildered and alarmed, but kids, who tend to gravitate to new technology, found freedom in a space that was basically ungoverned.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of bewildered

Verb

Her unconventional breakdancing moves during her final performance against Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič (B-Girl Nicka) baffled audiences at home and cemented her as a meme royalty.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Host Kara Robinson Chamberlain, a true crime influencer, kidnapping survivor and former law enforcement officer, investigated the killing that has baffled Liz's family, friends and the community for seven years.

— Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of baffled

Adjective

Hsu maps a Los Angeles of leftovers and castoffs; portraits of friends and strangers in the street are full of dazed, inscrutable expressions.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
When the dazed young woman reels off quotes from an obscure self-help book, her new acolytes take her words as gnomic wisdom.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of dazed

Verb

Researchers have been puzzled by the intricacies of the genome, especially noncoding DNA—the 98 percent of DNA that doesn’t code for specific proteins but still plays a major role in the body’s function.

— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
Authorities were puzzled but eventually determined a leading cause.

— Betsy Joles, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of puzzled

Adjective

So stunned was Sarkisian that the 52-year-old coach completely forgot how to form big-boy words with his mouth.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Fernández’s adaptation is anxious to turn tragedy into a sermon, offering theatergoers moral solace where Sophocles leaves his audience in a contemplative state of stunned silence.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of stunned

Adjective

In the moment, however, Martins imbues tremendous intrigue through snippets of the seemingly distracted middle-aged driver, Wesley (Renato Novaes), and eventually, through the crash itself.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 Sep. 2026
Following instructions from the kidnappers (unbeknownst to his increasingly agitated comrades), Lee drives out to meet them for the exchange, only to wreck his car and become distracted saving a nearby woman, Hua (Moon Lee).

— Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of distracted

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“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of befuddled

adjective

verb

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