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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in perplexing
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddling
Adjective
-
After a perplexing dream, Geron embarks on a quest to connect with his musically inclined son, Anthony, in hopes of creating music ice cream lovers–and the world—will love.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
10 July 2025 -
Riverside’s dissing of juries is even more perplexing given that California conviction rates in criminal cases top 60%.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
6 July 2025
Verb
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Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Data site Census Reporter whispers a hopeful, yet slightly dismaying, truth: over half of Austinites are unattached.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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And developers who take on the spatial complexities of working with old architecture face a dismaying array of bureaucratic and financial challenges.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Amazon With a bewildering array of colorful smart lighting for any occasion, Govee is an affordable alternative to brands like Philips Hue.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
11 July 2025
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The number of color swatches and leather/fabric samples is bewildering.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Now, according to a report in the Financial Times, the U.K. government is seeking ways to avoid a confrontation with the tech companies, through fear of upsetting Donald Trump’s U.S. administration.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Ray as the Fisherman is not a one-to-one comparison — this would be a little more like David Arquette’s Dewey being revealed as Ghostface, a slightly less upsetting development.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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And as the discourse around it keeps stacking up, what started as a silly turn of phrase has devolved into an incomprehensible mess that’s preventing people from noticing the much more insidious shift around them.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 July 2025
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This is because for the first Daemon X Machina, the story was an incomprehensible mess.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Befuddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddling. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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