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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as in perplexing
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Recent Examples of befuddling
Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
That's why makes Seattle's decision to part ways with Martinez that much more befuddling.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddling
Verb
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That the Red Wings needed to attach a second-round pick to offload his money last summer was baffling at the time and looks even worse now.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Chronic pain — that is more perplexing, with its biological purpose, if there even is one, proving elusive.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The Longs lived by a perplexing tangle of unspoken rules anchored by the admonishment to never invite the neighbors over.—
Kristen Kidd,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Colorado opened its 2025 season with a puzzling 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech on Friday night.—
Shane Shoemaker,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Tyler, the Creator has turned 2025’s Camp Flog Gnaw announcement into a puzzling quest.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Tuesday will go down as one of Boston’s most confounding losses of the season, a 4-3 defeat in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles in which the club went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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Its ginormous investments in higher-value, tech-heavy sectors from smartphones to autos to semiconductors to biotechnology are disrupting the global landscape at bewildering speed.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Choosing a new kitchen counter can be confusing.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
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But for as long as social media is a part of the childhood experience, parents and children will be forced to navigate this confusing world of misinformation and unrealistic messaging.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But the drum sound wasn’t nearly as dismaying as the studio’s piano, which kept slipping out of tune.—
Peter Ames Carlin,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
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With a six-game deficit in the American League wild card hunt entering play on Monday, the Angels may be only a few series away from repeating their dismaying playbook from 2023.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Detecting disconcerting commentary in user prompts is relatively straightforward when contending with short chats.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Ending up in a small coastal town in Greece, her initially peaceful trip takes a disconcerting turn when a young family staying at a nearby villa unearths painful memories.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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