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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Recent Examples of befuddling
Kyle Denis, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2026
That apparently incongruous collection of statistics captures the befuddling nature of this rollercoaster season.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 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
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
Technically, anyway, the Chiefs-Colts game on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium wasn’t a knockout game for the befuddling 5-5 home team in jeopardy of missing the playoffs after three straight Super Bowl berths.
—Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
The befuddling ballroom renovations are one thing, but the recent unrest in Minnesota is something entirely different.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2026
That apparently incongruous collection of statistics captures the befuddling nature of this rollercoaster season.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 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
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
Technically, anyway, the Chiefs-Colts game on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium wasn’t a knockout game for the befuddling 5-5 home team in jeopardy of missing the playoffs after three straight Super Bowl berths.
—Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddling
Adjective
-
Mamdani’s revenue estimates look realistic rather than usefully bleak; notwithstanding his perplexing series of revisions, the gap appears to be real.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The craze is perplexing to parents, but Bennett said the Hornets have embraced it to bring joy to young people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Georgia basketball’s matchup with Tennessee ended in baffling fashion Wednesday night.—
Olivia Sayer,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
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.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The instinct to head back to a war zone may seem puzzling, but the reality on the ground generally isn’t as dire as the headlines suggest.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This puzzling behavior has long raised questions about how materials without a regular molecular structure can still remain mechanically stable.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Things got even more confusing when make-up artist Alexis Stone posted a picture of a prosthetic on Instagram alongside photos of Carrey at the awards show.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Mar. 2026
-
For people who deal with a parent with addiction issues, that can be really confusing and painful.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
McNutt housed some 700 kids — about one-third of the population of French Lick — and Bird found the campus outside the dormitory walls bewildering.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The keenness of my letdown was dismaying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But there’s another side to this story, equally dismaying, which is the abandonment of dissidents as a public cause in the West.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That alone would be disconcerting, but that the line (dubbed the Petrova Line, after the scientist who discovered it) seems to be linked to a new, gradual dimming of the sun?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The only disconcerting note for reigning champion Bayern was the withdrawal at halftime of Manuel Neuer.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befuddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddling. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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