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
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
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Recent Examples of befuddled
Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Whitten Burrage’s petition quoted a befuddled internal 2023 email from Oklahoma City State Farm captive agent David Hoffhines.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
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
And a great character beat as Clark looks on in befuddled admiration.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Whitten Burrage’s petition quoted a befuddled internal 2023 email from Oklahoma City State Farm captive agent David Hoffhines.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
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
-
Everyone was so relieved to see how bewildered everyone else was that the feeling in this place was almost festive.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Numerous cryptocurrency novices become bewildered by intricate decals and fluctuating percentages.—
Malana VanTyler,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
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During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Emotions boiled over earlier in the period after Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven crushed Hurricanes counterpart Alexander Nikishin with a huge hit that left the Russian dazed and needing help off the ice.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
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In his emotional breakdowns, Elliott buckles under his testy relationship with his mother Lynn and then wanders through gatherings and parties with a perpetually dazed expression.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Beata Siemionkowicz's immigration case has puzzled her family and experts.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
7 May 2026
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What appears to be an outbreak of hantavirus on a ship anchored near the tiny mid-Atlantic nation of Cabo Verde has infectious diseases experts puzzled.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
5 May 2026
Adjective
-
The new districts and their boundaries have even confused candidates and their campaign staffers.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2026
-
Marna, seemingly confused, asked if the message was meant for her.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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As Season 3 of Euphoria continues to stir up some controversy, one of the show’s stars is perplexed by Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) OnlyFans storyline.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some looked stunned, others threw up their hands or clapped.—
Camila Gomez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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But within seconds of being knocked back, the responding officers were back up, checking on each other and evacuating stunned residents — including several children — from the rubble of the home, the video shows.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And Chetty noted that those kinds of sites can thrive on social media, where consumers are often distracted and more likely to make a quick purchase.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
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After a brief interlude of distracted play, the game got vigorous and testy.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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