1
as in jumble
a state in which everything is out of order
things at the newly built school were all in a muddle on opening day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in daze
a state of mental confusion
I was in such a muddle after the accident that I didn't know where I was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
the new, supposedly improved forms simply put taxpayers in a bigger muddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in variety
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
a muddle of old magazines piled on the shelves
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a car shopper thoroughly muddled by too much well-meaning advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 muddle
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 20 June 2025
The risk that the muddle in both Washington and Sarajevo will cost jobs in Gorazde has left the town’s mayor, Mr. Imamovic, aghast.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
What was meant to be constructive ends up muddled.
—George Bradt, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muddle
Noun
On the menu: Reconciliation bill still sinking with voters; New York mayoral muddle; DNC’s chair agonistes; Crowded field could save Cassidy; Don’t sweat it
Today is West Virginia Day, the holiday celebrating the 35th state’s admission to the union on June 20, 1863.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 20 June 2025
The risk that the muddle in both Washington and Sarajevo will cost jobs in Gorazde has left the town’s mayor, Mr. Imamovic, aghast.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Verb
With his far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, sitting in the front row, Netanyahu took the stage, looking a little peeved, and berated the event’s organizers for muddling his slide show.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
What was meant to be constructive ends up muddled.
—George Bradt, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddle
Noun
-
Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Over the past few years, Teasdale has grown to embrace the slow mornings and simple comforts that come with being a homebody, and Moisturizer, Wet Leg’s bright, celestial second album, captures small-hours moments, sofa snogs and falling into the buoyant daze of doing nothing all day.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Much like Metamorphosis arrived in the early aughts’ sparkly daze, Duff’s musical comeback also comes at the right moment in time.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The very concept of combining social media with AI assistants caused confusion earlier this year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
-
That confusion is further reflected by the manic hyper-subjectivity of Bronstein’s filmmaking, which boxes Linda into a close-up so tight that everything around her — especially her unnamed daughter, who almost never appears on screen — might as well be a disembodied echo of her own anxiety.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Fortunately, there is a growing movement to curb light pollution and reduce its impacts across a variety of animal species.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The beauty is variety—but that variety depends on the region.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But too often, this instinct to chase conflict distorts reality and confuses the public.—
Nancy Gibbs,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
-
This view confuses structure with behavior.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The results reinforce what many pediatric specialists have long suspected—that too much screen exposure in early childhood may disrupt normal brain development.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Unlike antifa, the Proud Boys actually did something that disrupted the United States federal government and threatened to derail the peaceful transfer of power.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Boaters in Fort Lauderdale will soon be able to skip the mess — and help keep the city’s waterways cleaner — thanks to a new sewage pumpout vessel launching next spring.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
-
But this mess, about a garage band that starts to see a hint of success and is immediately torn apart by the usual rock-movie clichés, never really gets going.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Raw, sweaty, and steeped in debauchery, the track chronicles a spiral of booze, heartbreak, and nights lost in a haze of resistol fumes, all layered with his signature gritty rap flow.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Bees and wasps flitted together on yellow flowers, and as the day wore on, gnats clumped in beams of sunshine to make a kind of haze.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddle. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share