flummoxed

verb

Definition of flummoxednext
past tense of flummox
as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty an actor who's easily flummoxed by any changes in the script

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 flummoxed Drivers honked, pedestrians took photographs, and a flock of Waymos stopped and started repeatedly, their algorithms seemingly flummoxed. — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026 Cromar told me that even people in his field—which is to say, the most sophisticated consumers of this sort of information—may be flummoxed by the range of AQI reports. — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026 As a junior, Smith, then a budding creator with roughly 13,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, was flummoxed by a sudden flood of outreaches from brands. — Avery Stone, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 Harry Kane sparked the counter with a long pass that left the Argentina defense flummoxed for the first time all game. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026 The Celtics were flummoxed by Robinson during the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals. — Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Christian Petersen / Getty Images San Antonio’s defense once again flummoxed the Thunder. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 May 2026 Defensive struggles against the Joel Embiid/Tyrese Maxey pick-and-roll, which has flummoxed Boston’s bigs since Embiid’s mid-series return. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026 The Volo Museum’s owners and staff are flummoxed by the latest incident in a place already known for paranormal occurrences and other strange happenings. — Gregory Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummoxed
  1. baffled
  2. puzzled
  3. perplexed
  4. confused
  5. bewildered
Verb
  • Beyond being frustrated with the secrecy, locals said they were baffled by the lack of specifics and clarity the stakeholders had about the project, per the records.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And just last month, officials in Millcreek, Utah, were baffled to find an unknown camera installed on city property that neither the city nor police requested.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of baffled
Verb
  • He was puzzled when, after 2021, the number of children going into foster care dropped, but the state's costs for child welfare were rising.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The photo also showed two others associated with Kremlev, part of a larger group of Russians whose presence puzzled some attendees.
    — Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of puzzled
Verb
  • California‘s seven Supreme Court justices appeared by turns perplexed by and incredulous of those theories during oral arguments last month.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • They were perplexed at first, flummoxed, but pleasant, and unfortunately for them, already long gone from the airport.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of perplexed
Verb
  • The arrests generated massive amounts of headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, and many were confused when the suspects were released on bail the next day.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2026
  • While accepting the Moon Person, fans watching at home were confused when the sound cut out as Carpenter was talking.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • 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
  • Dan emerges as Primetime’s unlikely heart, bewildered by the dark world he’s wandered into and left to negotiate his ambitions with the high stakes of the job.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewildered

Browse Nearby Words

flummox
flummoxed
flummoxes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flummoxed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummoxed. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of perseverate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All