as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
poorly worded instructions that must have resulted in a lot of head-scratching
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of head-scratching
There are some big swings which tip into head-scratching territory, including an ending that doesn’t really work, but as first films go, it’s startlingly assured stuff.
—
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 23 May 2025
It came wrapped in the same bow, ultimately, as the other 40: a jumbled box of hanging deliveries and head-scratching fundamental mistakes.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
Minnesota has high highs as a team but low lows and can play head-scratching basketball at times.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Ars published a story a few months ago on spaceflight patches from NASA, SpaceX, Russia, and the NRO, the US government's spy satellite agency, which is responsible for some of the most head-scratching mission logos.
—ArsTechnica, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-scratching
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 23 May 2025
It came wrapped in the same bow, ultimately, as the other 40: a jumbled box of hanging deliveries and head-scratching fundamental mistakes.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
Minnesota has high highs as a team but low lows and can play head-scratching basketball at times.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Ars published a story a few months ago on spaceflight patches from NASA, SpaceX, Russia, and the NRO, the US government's spy satellite agency, which is responsible for some of the most head-scratching mission logos.
—ArsTechnica, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-scratching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-scratching
Noun
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For potential patients, this information overload—and the social baggage that comes with it—often creates more confusion than clarity.—
Christy Saia-Owenby,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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The pressure comes as confusion swirls around whether President Trump will exempt some businesses from efforts to arrest and deport immigrants living illegally in the United States.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Noun
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An international team of astronomers now suggests this signal could be used to determine how light from the first stars interacted with this cosmic fog, helping to lift it.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 June 2025
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Navigating a business through economic uncertainty can feel like driving at night on an unfamiliar road as the fog rolls in.—
Anita Nelson,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
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About a dozen streets on it bore names; the rest was a tangle of lines.—
The New York Times,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 June 2025
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That development was paused amid a tangle of lawsuits in 2023 and 2024, but is moving forward after the cases were resolved in November and March.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Head-scratching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-scratching. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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