as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
And a great character beat as Clark looks on in befuddled admiration.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Adjective
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
And a great character beat as Clark looks on in befuddled admiration.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Berube was befuddled by the way his team started the third, a problem that lies at the feet of the players as well as the coach.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled
Adjective
-
At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Urged by a call from Hugo to destroy her phone and flee Kansas City fast, before WARDEX can get to her, Margaret also hits the road, accompanied initially by a bewildered Jackson.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
His mother, Ahmani Hicks, describes him as a kid who loved sports, and she's baffled as to why her son was targeted.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
-
Known as the Galactic Center Excess, a spherical gamma-ray glow extending out for thousands of light-years from the core of our galaxy, this high-energy light has baffled researchers for over a decade.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
Humans of all ages, in fact, stare dazed into glowing screens.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
-
Rapkin, truth be told, looked a little dazed.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
County officials said they are puzzled by the cost increase in the face of falling ridership for Access Lynx, which provides door-to-door transportation for disabled and low-income riders countywide.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2026
-
But after feeding the information into a computer model, the team was puzzled.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
But then, the writer himself might get confused about which is which.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
-
For example, a lot of fans were a bit confused on Friday after watching Miguel Almiron be sent off in the first half of Paraguay’s win against Turkey.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Aryna Sabalenka being asked to dance after defeating Naomi Osaka in the French Open has one former American tennis star perplexed.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
-
Democrats have been particularly perplexed given the state's top-two primary system, which places all candidates on a single ballot regardless of party.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
-
The Paraguay players looked stunned.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The proper fit will ensure that your pet remains comfortable and doesn’t become distracted by efforts to remove the collar.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
-
The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
