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
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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
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3
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
the new, supposedly improved forms simply put taxpayers in a bigger muddle
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4
as in variety
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
a muddle of old magazines piled on the shelves
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1
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a car shopper thoroughly muddled by too much well-meaning advice
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2
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddle
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Spurs’ playing squad is a muddle, the legacy of a generation’s worth of short-termism and too many coaching changes to mention.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 14 May 2026
The movie manages to be rigorously muddled despite not being all that complicated.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for muddle
Noun
Now, researchers plan to extend their investigations to nearby early settlement sites to determine if Culasawani is a midden or muddle.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Spurs’ playing squad is a muddle, the legacy of a generation’s worth of short-termism and too many coaching changes to mention.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Erika’s brother, Klaus (August Diehl), sits naked by a rumpled bed with last night’s conquest still muddled up with his sheets, talking on the phone to his sister.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 14 May 2026
The movie manages to be rigorously muddled despite not being all that complicated.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for muddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddle
Noun
-
Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Other bedding plants for summer color in sunny sites include angelonia, blue daze, bush daisy, Joseph’s coat, melampodium, salvia, torenia and zinnias.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
Those around me were in a daze.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The vast range of difficulty and rigor in academic assessment adds confusion for both learners and employers.—
Bryan Penprase,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
The Holii Travel Pill Organizer is compact enough to fit in a car compartment or backpack, and securely separates daily doses of medications in order to avoid any confusion on busy travel days.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2026
Noun
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But as the uptake of telehealth has grown substantially since the start of the covid pandemic, McClain is one of millions of Americans who have used online companies to meet a variety of their medical needs.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
The rooms For a smaller resort, there's a surprising variety among the accommodations.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
And then beyond that, there’s Hackney Wick, which is not to be confused with traditional Hackney, also on the canal, filled with very cool community initiatives.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 May 2026
-
Because of their similar flowers, this plant is sometimes confused with bigleaf hydrangea.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Closure of the strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea and a critical gateway to the Suez Canal, could significantly disrupt global trade.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
The British Museum elected to postpone a Jewish Culture Month event that was scheduled to take place last Thursday, May 28th due to concerns that the talk—a lecture on Ancient Israel and Judah—might be disrupted by protests.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Perhaps you got stuck in the mess last week when rush hour traffic was snarled by a tractor-trailer that got stuck on the concrete barrier at the intersection of Stanwix Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard.—
John Shumway,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
If dishes have been scraped properly before loading, the cycle can usually handle the mess without issue.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Most are soft; some are veiled by haze or sea mist, and others employ blur to picturesque ends.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Words that drift through the haze of NFL contract negotiations, however, rarely equate to actions.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddle. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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