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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of befuddling
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
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
After allowing a first-inning run, Gausman retired 17 straight Los Angeles Dodgers hitters, befuddling one of the most talented lineups in the history of the sport.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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
Back then, Newcastle’s thin squad staggered between results, lurching from challenging the best sides in the league to befuddling losses to inferior squads.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
After allowing a first-inning run, Gausman retired 17 straight Los Angeles Dodgers hitters, befuddling one of the most talented lineups in the history of the sport.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddling
Adjective
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The movie is hilarious, fun, disturbing, perplexing, exuberant, exhausting.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
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The canon can already be described as a bewildering artistic menagerie, including a perplexing assessment of misandrism, body horror by Brian Yuzna, killer toys from the ’90s, and more.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The pilot of a private jet reportedly made an eerie discovery while flying thousands of feet over Rhode Island, marking the latest in unexplained encounters baffling both experts and civilians alike.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
22 Dec. 2025
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From financial wipeouts to baffling misreads of beloved source material, some of Hollywood’s most notorious flops began as video games.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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What is the most confounding and terrible, however, is Gretchen’s assertion that Slade, the anti-Viagra, doesn’t get involved with the women on his own accord, but only engages because the women always talk about him.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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The offense’s struggles are the most confounding.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some people say puzzling offers more than simple entertainment.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Jan. 2026
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But the decision to leave Robertson at home is a puzzling one that has enraged both Stars fans and hockey fans across the country.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Outside of safety concerns, a toy intended for an older child can be frustrating and confusing to younger children.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
6 Nov. 2025
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Without that administrative approval, Medicare patients — and their doctors — have been left in a very complicated and confusing limbo.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
6 Nov. 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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Democratic leaders actually were troubled by Mamdani’s rise (although their preference for a disgraced former governor was equally dismaying), but Democratic voters handed Mamdani a solid victory despite his radical positions.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
28 Nov. 2025
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On top of this dismaying thought comes the realization that the AI is available 24x7 and at a low cost or perhaps even free.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cellos and basses may be rumbling along on a frighteningly low melody, as the woodwinds are pecking like a riot in a chicken coop, while the high strings are sustaining a cluster of odd, disconcerting notes.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
29 Dec. 2025
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The macro view is more disconcerting.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddling. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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