as in confusing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in baffling
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 disrupting
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 muddling
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
The new estimate was based on accounting for some of those muddling data points.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
But also muddling standard operating procedures is the fact that, according to the insider, ABC doesn’t have a dedicated late-night executive.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
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
His recipe calls for muddling sweet Sun Gold tomatoes and fresh basil, plus a smidge of salt and sugar until juicy; then stirring in gin, vermouth, and ice until well-chilled.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
That’s muddling the outlook for rate cuts.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Gently muddling the mint and lime and not pulverizing them preserves their flavor and keeps the drink crisp rather than bitter.
—Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025
The case sparked numerous videos by amatuer investigators posting on Youtube and Facebook, muddling up the tip line for information.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Ken Holland, general manager, B Holland arrived on the scene of a muddling franchise that had lost four straight first-round series to the same opponent.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
The new estimate was based on accounting for some of those muddling data points.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
But also muddling standard operating procedures is the fact that, according to the insider, ABC doesn’t have a dedicated late-night executive.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
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
His recipe calls for muddling sweet Sun Gold tomatoes and fresh basil, plus a smidge of salt and sugar until juicy; then stirring in gin, vermouth, and ice until well-chilled.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
That’s muddling the outlook for rate cuts.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Gently muddling the mint and lime and not pulverizing them preserves their flavor and keeps the drink crisp rather than bitter.
—Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025
The case sparked numerous videos by amatuer investigators posting on Youtube and Facebook, muddling up the tip line for information.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddling
Adjective
-
As if aware that things are about to get confusing for the audience, writer-director Ritchie throws plenty of narration at us early on, emanating from Rachel Wild (Eiza Gonzalez), the sort of ultra-confident lawyer who clearly dresses for success.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
When your content is confusing, emotionally charged without context or starts zigzagging into areas that feel off-brand, trust falls apart.—
Claire Bahn,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The slow starts are baffling to Becht.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport endured a cyberattack in August 2024 initiated by a ransomware group that caused some IT system outages disrupting Wi-Fi, facility websites, flight display screens and check-in kiosks.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
The process of how art gets made seems to change every day, with new technologies disrupting old workflows and evolving methods of distribution and monetization.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But even more than engaging the big ideas that Emma’s revelation triggers — pun somewhat intended — Lee and Borli wanted to craft an experience that would mimic its main characters’ bewildering interiority.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
6 Apr. 2026
-
There aren’t many ways to earn a club’s first win better than bewildering the league’s defending champions at their place.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Facebook groups and other online communities have sprung up around shuffling, allowing expats navigating all sorts of situations to compare notes and share strategies.—
Carole Rosenblat,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
But sometimes, simply shuffling the pieces can help, in our view.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The whole situation was perplexing.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Our universe is full of mysteries, but few are as perplexing as the dark, tiny galaxies that hover around larger ones like the Milky Way.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But as of last month, the FDA has twice opted not to approve RP1, puzzling researchers and worrying drug developers.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
2 May 2026
-
Alvarado, however, continued a puzzling trend.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
