as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in perplexing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mystifying
Adjective
-
The growing complexity of the guidelines is all the more perplexing because the government’s overarching advice on how to eat healthier hasn’t changed that much over the past 35 years.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025 -
Forecasters point to perplexing planetary phenomenon.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
22 June 2025
Verb
-
Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The claim that chess is a form of gambling was baffling, according to every chess player NPR spoke to, including Herat resident Jarallah Badghisi.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
17 June 2025
-
Some baffling decisions were made that fundamentally alter not only her characterization and arc, but the very nature of the story itself.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
While most players at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship are battling the Texas heat, slow play, and a demanding Fields Ranch East layout, Leona Maguire is dealing with something far more bizarre—tick bites!—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 June 2025
-
The bizarre mix of world football and American football was once again clashing early in the game.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
This book is his opus, one bewildering, confusing, meandering, and disorienting episodic tale after another involving reporters, runways, and casinos, back when Vegas was gloriously trashy.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
-
The judge’s tone is one of bewilderment because these circumstances are indeed bewildering, and no doubt would be to the Founding Fathers who expressly rejected monarchy and established a system of government where the citizenry would be free to express its discontent at government policies.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
The night before the baby junco landed in the research team’s net, a strange, shifting light filtered through the forest, not far from where the Long Trail, Vermont’s end-to-end hiking route, traverses the Mount Mansfield ridgeline.—
Madeline Bodin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
-
This film is set entirely inside a taxi cab that Panahi is driving around Tehran, as different people drift in and out of his car with their own strange and very personal dramas.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2025
-
The 6-foot-7 forward will join Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with the Mavericks, who are looking to turn around the franchise following the shocking midseason trade of Luka Dončić in February.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Eisenberg completed an eerie song praising West Elm as an oracular realm, then asked Scardino to write a short monologue to set it up.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN — Some of the most intriguing science fiction springs from eerie, real-life phenomena.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
29 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Mystifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mystifying. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share