as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
the library patron was in obvious befuddlement over where to find the appropriate references
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Recent Examples of befuddlement
Bohumila shrugged with a look of befuddlement.
—
Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Tunnel fits have become so valuable that the teams themselves post them on official social media channels, to the delight (and sometimes befuddlement) of fans.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Tunnel fits have become so valuable that the teams themselves post them on official social media channels, to the delight (and sometimes befuddlement) of fans.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddlement
Noun
-
The very concept of combining social media with AI assistants caused confusion earlier this year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
-
That confusion is further reflected by the manic hyper-subjectivity of Bronstein’s filmmaking, which boxes Linda into a close-up so tight that everything around her — especially her unnamed daughter, who almost never appears on screen — might as well be a disembodied echo of her own anxiety.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Oct. 2025
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Scientists in Austria and France have developed a new imaging method that can reveal objects hidden behind opaque materials such as sand, fog, or even human tissue, potentially opening new frontiers in medical diagnostics and sensing technologies.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In a marked contrast to the undisguised anger, bitter satire, and clear-eyed analysis of his colleagues, bewilderment became the theme of his monologue.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Other residents in the neighborhood have expressed their bewilderment over the incident.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddlement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddlement. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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