as in to perplex
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
an actor who's easily flummoxed by any changes in the script
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Recent Examples of flummox
Samir, who has known Billie at least since middle school, needs a job (and to get the water heater fixed) and is flummoxed by simple interactions.
—
Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
Again, the Dodgers were flummoxed by a Mets starter, with David Peterson managing to get through seven innings.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 June 2025
The Mets’ lefty flummoxed the Rockies for 5 2/3 innings, surrendering one run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 30 May 2025
Rather than offer a new way forward for a system in need of modernization, generative-AI tools have broken it apart, leaving teachers and students flummoxed, even depressed, and unsure of their own roles in a system that can be so easily automated.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flummox
Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
Again, the Dodgers were flummoxed by a Mets starter, with David Peterson managing to get through seven innings.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 June 2025
The Mets’ lefty flummoxed the Rockies for 5 2/3 innings, surrendering one run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 30 May 2025
Rather than offer a new way forward for a system in need of modernization, generative-AI tools have broken it apart, leaving teachers and students flummoxed, even depressed, and unsure of their own roles in a system that can be so easily automated.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flummox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummox
Verb
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Having witnessed Axel's affection firsthand, Ollie's staff members are perplexed that the pup hasn't found his forever home, despite searching for an adopter for over a year.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The revelation perplexed Wall Street traders, who had expected bullion to be exempt from duties.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Will people be bewildered as to the difference between speaking of the two-word AI versus any of these three-word variations? Likely.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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We are bewildered with taking action regarding energy and climate change, even though suggestions and answers have been available for over 50 years.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Knight was left off the two-night, 11-match SummerSlam card entirely, a decision that baffled and angered his supporters.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
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She’s equally baffled by the widespread use of artificial intelligence.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The rest of the members’ faces were left blank and confused at the mention of barking.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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The president issued new guidelines for tariffs, extended some tariffs for a few months, and is confusing everyone, including consumers.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An unusual house on the real estate market in Newport, Tennessee, is causing a bit of a stir thanks to its puzzling interior and community pool-like exterior.—
TJ Macias,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Aug. 2025
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But self-improvement need not be the goal of puzzling, or of any hobby, for that matter.—
Sophia Stewart,
The Atlantic,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When Anthropic secretly added additional weekly usage limits to Claude Code, power users were left befuddled, claiming the company’s calculation of usage was inaccurate.—
Rashi Shrivastava,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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For those counties that stayed on the list during its short life, its makeup befuddled some commissioners, who didn't understand why they were included.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flummox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummox. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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