flummoxing

verb

present participle of flummox
as in baffling
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummoxing
  1. baffling
  2. puzzling
  3. perplexing
  4. bewildering
  5. confusing
Verb
  • Despite some protests about a dog contributing to the game, Buddy — clad in a bright blue jersey and two pairs of basketball kicks — scores baffling basket after baffling basket, leaving the other team shocked.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of baffling
Verb
  • This stingray is currently known from only two drainage systems, the Demerara River and the río Guanare which is… puzzling, to say the least, as these systems are not obviously connected in modern hydrology.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Plus, the powerful cosmic titans get really puzzling when astronomers using the JWST spot them before the universe was even 1 billion years old.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 July 2026
Definition of puzzling
Verb
  • But there were also perplexing moments that punctured the gravitas of the event (even for an event built around hand-to-hand combat).
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 June 2026
  • That none of this has ever been clear to Gisèle is perplexing even to her.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • But these casting decisions are bewildering, to say the least, and will certainly cost the film ticket sales and potential revenue.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
  • Similarly, the defensively bewildering 9-6 loss the Wild suffered to start Round 2 in Colorado set the tone for five games that would ultimately be their undoing.
    — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 3 June 2026
Definition of bewildering
Verb
  • Experts argue that while autism doesn't excuse criminal acts, failing to understand its impact risks confusing impaired social reasoning with criminal intent, leading to unjust outcomes.
    — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • How Patients Can Choose More Carefully Istanbul has a lot of options, which can feel both useful and also confusing at the same time.
    — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of confusing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

flummoxes
flummoxing
flump
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flummoxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummoxing. Accessed 28 Jul. 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 kludge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

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

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

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

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

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

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
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All