as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a muddled arrangement of trophies in the display case
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in confused
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 disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddled
Djenane Villanueva, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Ridley recommends using gel polishes for a deer print mani, since the curing step locks each layer in, keeping them from blurring together and becoming a muddled mess.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 28 Jan. 2026
True coffee enthusiasts know that a good coffee grinder plays a huge role in the extraction process and preventing a muddled flavor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 Jan. 2026
Tonight, Bluebland’s glasses reflect a muddled crowd.
—Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
The muddled history of the token’s origination is just the tip of the iceberg.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
But the thinking behind the category itself remains muddled, and the rollout hasn’t helped.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2025
But his box office track record is a bit mixed and muddled.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Nov. 2025
The Breaking Bad timeline became muddled due to mistakes on Walt and Skyler’s divorce papers, as well as a few other details.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
At the moment, however, the apex of the 2026 draft order is muddled.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
However impressively efficient the American strike may have been, the president’s motives have been muddled.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
The situation might be a bit more muddled by the US wanting to resume nuclear testing.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025
Still, economists say the report could be more than a little muddled this time around.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
Suddenly, the whole point of Olympia and Matty’s mission is muddled.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Bernstein’s Mark Moerdler echoed the sentiment that Oracle’s last quarter was overall a decent one, but was muddled by complex controversies.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
As a result of financial and personal problems, Bíró's invention ended up muddled in a number of international patents and licensing agreements in different companies and individuals in various countries.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Voters are also distressed by the decline in their quality of life, as well as the country’s muddled political landscape – a fact indicated by the twenty candidates for president alone.
—Djenane Villanueva, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Ridley recommends using gel polishes for a deer print mani, since the curing step locks each layer in, keeping them from blurring together and becoming a muddled mess.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 28 Jan. 2026
True coffee enthusiasts know that a good coffee grinder plays a huge role in the extraction process and preventing a muddled flavor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 Jan. 2026
Tonight, Bluebland’s glasses reflect a muddled crowd.
—Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
The muddled history of the token’s origination is just the tip of the iceberg.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
But the thinking behind the category itself remains muddled, and the rollout hasn’t helped.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2025
But his box office track record is a bit mixed and muddled.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Nov. 2025
The Breaking Bad timeline became muddled due to mistakes on Walt and Skyler’s divorce papers, as well as a few other details.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
Peterson's lawyers argued his role as an armed school resource officer did not amount to a caregiving post needed to prove child neglect in Florida, and that the response to the shooting was muddled by poor communication.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
At the moment, however, the apex of the 2026 draft order is muddled.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
However impressively efficient the American strike may have been, the president’s motives have been muddled.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
The situation might be a bit more muddled by the US wanting to resume nuclear testing.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025
Still, economists say the report could be more than a little muddled this time around.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
Suddenly, the whole point of Olympia and Matty’s mission is muddled.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Bernstein’s Mark Moerdler echoed the sentiment that Oracle’s last quarter was overall a decent one, but was muddled by complex controversies.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
As a result of financial and personal problems, Bíró's invention ended up muddled in a number of international patents and licensing agreements in different companies and individuals in various countries.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddled
Adjective
-
Extension 24-Pair Shoe Storage Cabinet A pile of footwear cluttering an entryway is an eyesore and makes homes look messy.—
Ali Faccenda,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Epstein raised this alarm years ago in Range, writing that the best predictors of future elite performance often hide inside messy developmental stories.—
Rachel Barr,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The show is Finding Her Edge, a new ice skating drama that should not be confused with Spinning Out, another Netflix ice skating drama that was cancelled after one season.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Judicial warrants should not be confused with administrative warrants, which are signed by immigration officers.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Types of polar vortex events Meteorologists generally track two main ways the polar vortex behaves when it’s disrupted.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Feb. 2026
-
For the operation, the team used a multi-node mesh network that could reroute data automatically through other available noted, if certain parts of the network were disrupted.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While navigating Westport by car or on foot is chaotic right now, the goal is to prevent destruction in the future.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Lazy Susans and magnetic spice racks turn chaotic fridges and spice shelves into functional spaces.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Many are calling Belichick’s apparent lack of inclusion a sham or a snub, and even the most reasonable of NFL fans — like Patrick Mahomes — are baffled.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lock mode proved invaluable on loose climbs, Hill Descent took the stress out of steep drop-offs, and Auto seamlessly shuffled between two- and four-wheel drive as conditions changed.—
Fergus Scholes,
TheWeek,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Key Background The ranks of the world’s wealthiest people have shuffled in recent months.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead of leaving a jumbled mess of cords and devices on the counter, try a dedicated charging drawer.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Perhaps whoever comes in — either as the full interim rather than the pre-interim, or the actual full-time appointment, whenever that is — will figure out a way to make this expensive but jumbled squad work.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For decades, this has puzzled physicists and engineers alike.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Juarez was overwhelmed and a bit puzzled by some of the responses.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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