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

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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
  • In practice, puzzling choices by curators Klaus Biesenbach and Maike Steinkamp rendered the experiment fraught in places.
    — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The encyclical’s critique of military AI is similarly puzzling.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of puzzling
Verb
  • Gibson Nash, 21, was charged with first-degree murder after a series of perplexing events eventually led police to his mother’s bloodied body.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • The threats are constantly evolving, layering upon themselves with bewildering speed.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of bewildering
Verb
  • The light entering my eyes would bend at two different angles, confusing my brain and making my vision a little blurry.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing in extra mythology wouldn’t make the confusing parts any less confusing, and would just confuse the parts that aren’t confusing at all.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Flummoxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummoxing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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