as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a muddled arrangement of trophies in the display case
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddled
Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
To wit, Tuesday’s primary—particularly the free-for-all campaign for governor to succeed Gavin Newsom—remains too muddled to call, with millions of outstanding ballots likely yet to be counted.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Having stabilised as mid-table regulars, this was an opportunity to capitalise on a muddled middle of the table.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
The end result on those possessions is a muddled mess, which leads to bad shots or live ball turnovers, which lead to easy points going the other way.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
Known for its peppery, licorice-like notes, muddled tarragon lends an extra layer of botanical flavor to the famous French cocktail of gin, lemon juice, sweetener, and dry champagne or sparkling wine.
—Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026
There remain other, muddled storylines across this LIV timeline that won’t get untangled.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Warsh believes markets have driven those rates up in response to muddled policy from the Fed, including the recent spike in inflation after Covid — but going much further back, too.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
This switch-up to the formula makes new episodes of The Comeback compelling to watch, even as the season’s big-picture storytelling remains a bit muddled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
This muddled the entire process.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Nola’s situation is just as muddled.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 21 May 2026
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
The investigation into Sabich's death was muddled by multiple law enforcement missteps.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
That reasoning is muddled, but according to Kneecap, they weren’t supposed to find out about this letter.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
Especially among activists and academics, this explosion of identities has muddled Crenshaw’s neat system of greater and lesser disadvantage.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Adjective
Guests still arrive early, order a brandy Old Fashioned—made the local way, without muddled fruit—and settle in for the experience.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
To wit, Tuesday’s primary—particularly the free-for-all campaign for governor to succeed Gavin Newsom—remains too muddled to call, with millions of outstanding ballots likely yet to be counted.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Having stabilised as mid-table regulars, this was an opportunity to capitalise on a muddled middle of the table.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
The end result on those possessions is a muddled mess, which leads to bad shots or live ball turnovers, which lead to easy points going the other way.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
Known for its peppery, licorice-like notes, muddled tarragon lends an extra layer of botanical flavor to the famous French cocktail of gin, lemon juice, sweetener, and dry champagne or sparkling wine.
—Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026
There remain other, muddled storylines across this LIV timeline that won’t get untangled.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Warsh believes markets have driven those rates up in response to muddled policy from the Fed, including the recent spike in inflation after Covid — but going much further back, too.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
This switch-up to the formula makes new episodes of The Comeback compelling to watch, even as the season’s big-picture storytelling remains a bit muddled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
When considering domestic destinations for the menu, Martin tested the old-school Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned ($10), with cherries and orange muddled into the cocktail.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
This muddled the entire process.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Nola’s situation is just as muddled.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 21 May 2026
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
The investigation into Sabich's death was muddled by multiple law enforcement missteps.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
That reasoning is muddled, but according to Kneecap, they weren’t supposed to find out about this letter.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
Especially among activists and academics, this explosion of identities has muddled Crenshaw’s neat system of greater and lesser disadvantage.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddled
Adjective
-
When actually the true version of ourselves is kind of messy, chaotic and vulnerable.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
In its equilibrium, a good tomato sandwich is juicy and unctuous and appropriately messy, which is praise all too often reserved for hot sandwiches like cheesesteaks or patty melts.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Both the National Weather Service of Miami and the Florida Keys said there was no cause for alarm and no tsunami threat, but that didn’t stop confused Floridians from taking to social media and neighborhood Facebook groups to ask if anyone else felt something similar.—
Kairi Lowery,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
-
Hull played her first two rounds at 3 over, squeezing under the cut by one stroke while saying she had been confused by the speed of the greens.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Major ash-producing eruptions have repeatedly disrupted life across the region and can affect areas far beyond the immediate danger zone.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
-
The department said current emergency notification systems rely on cellular devices, radio signals, electrical connectivity and power, all of which can be disrupted by heavy smoke, power outages or damage to communication infrastructure during an emergency.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
His distinct sensibility — by turns theatrical, ironic, chaotic, heartfelt — was native to the Internet.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 June 2026
-
The media newsletters and trades have written up transcripts of chaotic meetings and tracked Weiss and new 60 Minutes chief Nick Bilton’s daily movements, while the Times has sent multiple push alerts to millions of readers for stories about the chaos inside CBS.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
This new dating trend is leaving people baffled and heartbroken.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
But he was baffled as to why people are now incensed over pickleball courts.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
In the years that followed, American landscape painting was shuffled off to storage to make room for modernism, and paintings like Church’s, with their glassy finishes and profuse detail, came to seem the embodiment of fuddy-duddy.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
The singer-songwriter shuffled songs on her phone, not having any idea what might pop up.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
His fluid camera, observational without being intrusive, expertly delineates the safe space of Layla’s courtyard, shifting registers as things get darker until near the end, when jumbled night reinforces the tense uncertainty.—
Jay Weissberg,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
Chaotic terrain is characterized by fractured, jumbled blocks of rock thought to have formed when underground ice melted and caused the surface above to collapse.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
At first, Gulati was puzzled by the idea.—
Neha Bhatt,
NPR,
13 June 2026
-
The Braves swapped out catchers Thursday, a move that puzzled some fans because there wasn’t a clear explanation.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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