as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the hotel staff is completely fuddled by the guest's bizarre requests
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Recent Examples of fuddle
In colliding with a new type of animal, a chemical that might once have served to fuddle the wits of pests has been transformed into a glittering lure.
—
Gareth Cook, Scientific American, 24 June 2020
Gareth Cook, Scientific American, 24 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fuddle
Verb
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But Neptune also blurs lines, which is why its influence can feel mysterious or even confusing at times.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
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The threats have left operators confused and frozen, unwilling to attempt passage, due to safety fears and uncertainty about Iran's new fee system.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the price spike is global and due to the conflict in the Middle East that has restricted oil exports.—
Brian Melley,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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This baffles and outrages Angela, a protective mom who, with other parents, pushes back against Gabor using her math classroom as a forum for introducing the outside world’s worst actions.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But even more than engaging the big ideas that Emma’s revelation triggers — pun somewhat intended — Lee and Borli wanted to craft an experience that would mimic its main characters’ bewildering interiority.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
6 Apr. 2026
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There aren’t many ways to earn a club’s first win better than bewildering the league’s defending champions at their place.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Fifty Shades of Grey actress was perplexed.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
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Their presence prompted nervousness among beachgoers and surfers sharing the water, but marveled researchers who were perplexed by the abnormally longer stay close to shore.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Why a complete and puzzling change in my lifelong habits?—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
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But how Bhuva's name came to be listed on reimbursements for at least 2,800 patients across 126 California hospices in 2024 is a question that has puzzled advocates who have tracked the unusual explosion of hospice providers in Southern California in recent years.—
Grace Manthey,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Player recruitment was muddled, managerial appointments flawed (Remi Garde lasted 147 days in that relegation season) and the team underperformed.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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Cross-functional collaboration that isn’t muddled in hierarchy speeds up innovation.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Does springing forward in early March leave you feeling discombobulated during your commute?—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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Yet Grace is the one who wakes up in space, and this story emerges nonlinearly, narrative flashbacks like bursts of memory ripping through his brain, discombobulated after a long intergalactic coma.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fuddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddle. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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