Synonyms of befuddled

befuddled 1 of 2

adjective

bi-ˈfə-dᵊld 

as in bewildered

suffering from mental confusion

the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bewildered
• dazed
• confused
• stunned
• distracted
• dizzy
• bemused
• silly
• stupefied
• out of it
• muddleheaded
• fogged
• dopey
• confounded
• addled
• punch-drunk
• bedeviled
• shell-shocked
• mixed-up
• raddled
• at sea
• befogged
• pixilated
• slaphappy
• punchy
• spacey
• addle
• muzzy
• unconscious
• zonked-out
• bushed
• addlepated
• zonked
• spaced-out
• senseless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conscious
• clearheaded
• alert

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

• baffled
• puzzled
• bewildered
• confused
• perplexed
• flummoxed
• embarrassed
• mystified
• stunned
• bemused
• disoriented
• discombobulated
• vexed
• flustered
• confounded
• bamboozled
• muddled
• fuddled
• rattled
• addled
• disturbed
• bothered
• posed
• upset
• mazed
• muddied
• befogged
• foxed
• buffaloed
• graveled
• got
• unsettled
• beat
• stumped
• nonplussed
• disconcerted
• stuck
• blew one's mind
• mortified
• discomfited
• agitated
• dismayed
• distressed
• abashed
• went to one's head
• perturbed
• disquieted
• chagrined
• fazed
• weirded out
• discomforted
• deceived
• unhinged
• misled
• deluded
• misguided
• duped
• fooled
• discomposed
• discountenanced
• beguiled
• tricked
• hoodwinked
• humbugged
• strung along
• gulled
• cozened
• snowed
• took in
• hoaxed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfied
• assured
• informed
• reassured
• enlightened

Example Sentences

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