befuddled 1 of 2

adjective

bi-ˈfə-dᵊld How to pronounce befuddled (audio)
Definition of befuddlednext
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

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

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
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
Powell acknowledged he was befuddled by persistent gains in housing prices, considering the job market was weakening. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled
  1. bewildered
  2. baffled
  3. dazed
  4. puzzled
  5. confused
  6. perplexed
  7. stunned
  8. distracted
Adjective
  • In a little corner of my mind, however, history will always mean the tragic smashing of individual lives by its cruel hands and the scattering of bewildered people reeling from its blows.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026
  • Away from the bewildered rancher calling out in surprise, away from the Appaloosa.
    — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • Grantham said he was baffled by Wall Street banks’ recommendations to buy SpaceX for their clients.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 July 2026
  • Pz’ spends much of his proper debut, No Turning Back, equally baffled by his good fortune and ready to fasten it to his side with a Gucci strap before anyone else can take it.
    — Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 3 July 2026
Definition of baffled
Adjective
  • Garcia, meanwhile, had nothing to compare her first season to, and still sounded a little dazed despite shooting having finished months ago.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
  • Nina emerges, dazed but uninjured, her cellphone intact, her boyfriend Ben vanished.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of dazed
Verb
  • When casting director Nancy Nayor was young, her parents were puzzled by her entertainment choices.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • First, Miguel is puzzled when Chuy and his parents, Rosalío (Fernando Cuautl) and Margarita (Leidi Gutiérrez), abruptly leave town without warning.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 July 2026
Definition of puzzled
Adjective
  • Other borrowers are confused over the Biden administration’s failed loan forgiveness effort.
    — Nicky Forster, Fortune, 20 July 2026
  • The Doomsday trailer, however, is light on plot and heavy on guys looking across rooms at each other and nodding or looking slightly confused.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • Workers at Doherty Staffing Solutions were perplexed when strangers started calling the office in response to recruitment texts — texts the firm never sent.
    — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026
  • The Wiener Kitchen diners weren’t the only Kansas Citians perplexed by this description.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
Definition of perplexed
Adjective
  • Our team reports that as people emerge from the life-or-death struggle for survival, which eclipsed all thought and numbed sensations, their trauma is transforming into a stunned grief.
    — James Gordon, Time, 14 July 2026
  • And when Cape Verde’s Deroy Duarte evened the score with a right footed shot from a difficult angle at the 59-minute mark, the stunned stadium went silent, minus two small spirited clots of Cape Verde fans in the East end zone seats.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Definition of stunned
Adjective
  • For a moment, the bison becomes distracted and takes its anger out on a small sapling.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026
  • Trump has pioneered a style of communication that exploits our distracted, disputatious age.
    — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of distracted

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Cite this Entry

“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on befuddled

Nglish: Translation of befuddled for Spanish Speakers

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