as in perplexing
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as in baffling
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of befuddling
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Among them is Xander Schauffele, who had a befuddling ball-striking day.
—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
The befuddling ballroom renovations are one thing, but the recent unrest in Minnesota is something entirely different.
—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
29 Jan. 2026
McCarthy had shown flashes of brilliance during the season but his inability to connect with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson had been a befuddling question mark throughout the season.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Dec. 2025
That's why makes Seattle's decision to part ways with Martinez that much more befuddling.
—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Shares are erasing some of those two-day losses on Monday, but our overarching point about the befuddling post-earnings market reaction holds true.
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
Desire Doue let the ball run through his legs, befuddling his marker to such a degree that the only sensible reaction was laughter.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
The left-hander from California struck out nine Michigan State Spartans in Sunday's 4-0 victory at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, befuddling his overmatched victims with an electric breaking ball.
—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Many applicants have received identical messages lately, befuddling students as well as lab heads who may be used to hearing about rejections but not a string of applications simply returned without review.
—
Jonathan Wosen,
STAT,
11 Feb. 2026
He was less intimidated by its befuddling organization and had grown accustomed to the antiquated spellings and the nearly illegible, unpunctuated scribblings of harried seventeenth-century officials.
—
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Atlanta then declined to pick up Kinley’s option for 2026, which was a bit befuddling at the time.
—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
16 Jan. 2026
The idea of a Russian doing academic research on Iraq was utterly befuddling to Maher and his colleagues.
—
Elizabeth Tsurkov,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
This befuddling trend, among others, was discovered through digital hall passes piloted at the school in partnership with Raptor Technologies’ Smart Pass system, a technology that’s grown increasingly popular at area schools, said Carr.
—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Among them is Xander Schauffele, who had a befuddling ball-striking day.
—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
The befuddling ballroom renovations are one thing, but the recent unrest in Minnesota is something entirely different.
—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
29 Jan. 2026
McCarthy had shown flashes of brilliance during the season but his inability to connect with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson had been a befuddling question mark throughout the season.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Dec. 2025
That's why makes Seattle's decision to part ways with Martinez that much more befuddling.
—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
This description recalls what leadership expert Jason Wild previously told Fortune about how AI tools are probabilistic, befuddling managers everywhere.
—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Shares are erasing some of those two-day losses on Monday, but our overarching point about the befuddling post-earnings market reaction holds true.
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
Desire Doue let the ball run through his legs, befuddling his marker to such a degree that the only sensible reaction was laughter.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
The left-hander from California struck out nine Michigan State Spartans in Sunday's 4-0 victory at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, befuddling his overmatched victims with an electric breaking ball.
—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Many applicants have received identical messages lately, befuddling students as well as lab heads who may be used to hearing about rejections but not a string of applications simply returned without review.
—
Jonathan Wosen,
STAT,
11 Feb. 2026
He was less intimidated by its befuddling organization and had grown accustomed to the antiquated spellings and the nearly illegible, unpunctuated scribblings of harried seventeenth-century officials.
—
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Atlanta then declined to pick up Kinley’s option for 2026, which was a bit befuddling at the time.
—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
16 Jan. 2026
The idea of a Russian doing academic research on Iraq was utterly befuddling to Maher and his colleagues.
—
Elizabeth Tsurkov,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddling
Adjective
-
The sentencing capped an extraordinary investigation that solved one of New York’s most perplexing mysteries.
-
The charming little burg is plagued by a perplexing dead body problem.
Verb
-
The Illinois numbers, especially this year’s, are baffling experts.
-
For more than four minutes Darnold drove downfield, connecting on three of four passes, baffling the pass rushers, bleeding the clock, and by the time the Seahawks finally gave the ball back, the Rams had only 25 seconds to live.
Adjective
-
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.
Verb
-
The 24 hours between Sunday and Monday made an already puzzling situation even more head spinning.
-
Police are investigating after puzzling footage posted online shows a group of men emerging from a manhole in Brooklyn early Friday morning.
Adjective
-
Those themes are compelling on paper, but they’re expressed through a confusing mix of abstraction and hyper-local specificity, hidden beneath biker rock riffs, and obscured through Allbrook’s wiry, wailing vocal delivery.
-
Project proposals said the lanes are underutilized and confusing to drivers.
Verb
-
Similarly, the defensively bewildering 9-6 loss the Wild suffered to start Round 2 in Colorado set the tone for five games that would ultimately be their undoing.
-
But even more than engaging the big ideas that Emma’s revelation triggers — pun somewhat intended — Lee and Borli wanted to craft an experience that would mimic its main characters’ bewildering interiority.
Adjective
-
Some recent comments from longtime Voicers have been especially dismaying.
-
And in the worst cases — a scenario that plays out with dismaying regularity — the executive who championed the project has moved on to another job entirely.
Adjective
-
In the finale, Matthew’s scenes with K Callan, who plays Ruth, are really disconcerting.
-
Bari Weiss directed the housecleaning at the newsmagazine last week, and Nick Bilton signed the letter telling Scott Pelley he was fired on Tuesday night, but the Paramount CEO owns the decisions and the disconcerting fallout.
Cite this Entry
“Befuddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddling. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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