BLINDSIDED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

blindsided 1 of 2

adjective

as in surprised

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blindsided

2 of 2

verb

past tense of blindside

as in bewildered

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blindsided

Adjective

Continue reading … ROYAL HEADACHE — Buckingham Palace 'blindsided' by Thomas Markle allegations as Harry, Meghan face new family turmoil. — FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Trump blindsided Zelenskyy last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities. — Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026 When David flees before the FBI can arrest him, Teagan and her mother, Ella (Jessica Paré), are blindsided, and are forced to leave their affluent Los Angeles community for Ella’s hometown, Eagle’s Cove, a fictional town in Massachusetts. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 Still, Ballas and Higgins agree that there’s no bad blood with any of their costars, including Rausch — who won the season and blindsided Higgins with his reveal as a Traitor in the finale. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2026 The challenge now is not to allow complexity and financial innovation to leave policymakers blindsided. — Joao Gomes, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Many claimed the decision was unexpected and left several members of the royal family, including King Charles and Prince William, blindsided. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 25 Aug. 2026 Though the reason for Marte’s initial absence remains unknown publicly — the Diamondbacks were so blindsided by it that he was scratched only minutes before Monday’s game — the team seemed eager to move on from the fiasco. — Marc Carig, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Separately, the Club exited its position in Honeywell Aerospace following a horrendous quarter Wednesday that left Jim feeling blindsided. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blindsided

Adjective

Some subscribers were pleasantly surprised to see a price reduction.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that more than half of women surveyed admit to having faked an orgasm at some point, given how often those performances are referenced in TV shows and movies.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of surprised

Verb

Many Eagles players were concerned and bewildered by the development.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of bewildered

Adjective

The rights have remained in the family, so Hreljanovic was startled to find, a few years ago, that the film was streaming on Shudder, the horror site, and that DVDs were selling on Amazon.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Officials who appear loyal today might withhold cooperation from a startled regime, engage in a power struggle, or defect en masse.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of startled

Verb

One of the first chatbots, Eliza, built at MIT in the mid-1960s, ran a therapy script called DOCTOR that asked users questions about their feelings and experiences—and left its creator disconcerted about his technology’s strong emotional pull.

— Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Still, the boy was disconcerted during his first sessions in early June, said his mother, Tricia LaBrasca.

— Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Definition of disconcerted

Verb

For Bass, the program is evidence that her administration has made progress on an issue that befuddled her predecessors.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
Byrd and DeSantis each noted the many election law changes Florida has instituted since the infamous 2000 presidential election recount — where Palm Beach County’s butterfly ballots befuddled many voters in a razor-thin race.

— Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of befuddled

Verb

Others were dismayed when, in 2008, Hellerstein ended an effort to force New York City government to keep searching for human remains in debris moved from ground zero to a Staten Island landfill.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Nurses were also dismayed by pay cuts last year, Oswald said.

— Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismayed

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Style

“Blindsided.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blindsided. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of blindsided

adjective

verb

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