as in to perplex
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code
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Recent Examples of mystify
When great white sharks started vanishing from the coastal waters around Cape Town, South Africa, some scientists and conservationists were mystified.
—
Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Haotong Li of China shot 69 and was four behind, still mystified by topping a fairway metal that raced into the pond in front of the 15th green.
—Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
There’s no better example of how DeLauter has mystified teammates, coaches and Cleveland fans than his opposite-field homer in Seattle on March 28.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
And then there’s the mystifying whiff of slop.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mystify
Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Haotong Li of China shot 69 and was four behind, still mystified by topping a fairway metal that raced into the pond in front of the 15th green.
—Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
There’s no better example of how DeLauter has mystified teammates, coaches and Cleveland fans than his opposite-field homer in Seattle on March 28.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
And then there’s the mystifying whiff of slop.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mystify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mystify
Verb
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As Season 3 of Euphoria continues to stir up some controversy, one of the show’s stars is perplexed by Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) OnlyFans storyline.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
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Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But when an audition for the sixth film came through, he was initially confused by the prospect of rejoining a franchise in which his character had already died.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
2 May 2026
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The Pace exhibition also included photographs of unidentified objects orbiting Earth and kite-like sculptures resembling military satellites designed to confuse enemy radars.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Gasly seems faintly bewildered by the designation.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
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Netizens were bewildered by the latest pivot, resulting in plenty of mockery on social media.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
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During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Kate headed for her car, Emily just stood there, looking puzzled.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
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Alvarado, however, continued a puzzling trend.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Expecting to catch their limit this week, the Dodgers were instead befuddled by the Miami Marlins, who had most of the answers from the mound and just enough from the plate.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
29 Apr. 2026
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This description recalls what leadership expert Jason Wild previously told Fortune about how AI tools are probabilistic, befuddling managers everywhere.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mystify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mystify. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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