puzzled 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in bewildered

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2
as in quizzical

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puzzled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of puzzle
as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors

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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 puzzled
Adjective
Many going to work Friday morning in the Financial District were a little puzzled by the new development. — Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 12 July 2026 The umpires conferred and spoke with Venable, who seemed puzzled by the inquisition. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026 The query came from a man — puzzled look on his face, riding MARTA — stopped at Five Points station. — Gavin Godfrey, AJC.com, 17 June 2026 Just how much plants can sense in the world around them has long puzzled researchers. — K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026 Autoimmune diseases—a broad and complex category of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes—have long puzzled researchers. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026 Clean energy companies are even more puzzled. — Justin Worland, Time, 26 Mar. 2026 High above the forests of the Sauerland, though a popular hiking spot today, individuals from the Iron Age decided to fortify this location with rocks, but why these Iron Age men would secure the mountain puzzled archaeologists. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 7 Mar. 2026 Two of them seemed puzzled by the phrase, struggling to parse out its meaning, while the third instinctively got it. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
First, Miguel is puzzled when Chuy and his parents, Rosalío (Fernando Cuautl) and Margarita (Leidi Gutiérrez), abruptly leave town without warning. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 July 2026 Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Gold not glittering As for gold, while the yellow metal has traditionally been sought out by kings and paupers throughout history alike, the anaemic gold price has puzzled experts. — Lim Hui Jie,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 July 2026 When Hilary Streever relayed the agents' message to David, he was puzzled. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 1 July 2026 Pochettino seemed puzzled by the downcast tone of his post-match press conference. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 June 2026 Astronomers are puzzled that such a glaring inconsistency could have gone unnoticed in existing data, such as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which provides our earliest snapshot of the universe. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 25 June 2026 At the June 2 premiere, the audience screamed particularly loudly for Bogosian, a reaction the actor both appreciates and is puzzled by. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026 The discovery may also solve a mystery that has puzzled scientists for more than a century. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 These rustic, natural pavers are puzzled together to form a dynamic layout for the backyard patio and fire pit. — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzled
  1. bewildered
  2. quizzical
  3. baffled
  4. bemused
  5. wary
  6. perplexed
  7. surprised
  8. cautious
Adjective
  • Away from the bewildered rancher calling out in surprise, away from the Appaloosa.
    — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Massachusetts State Police ushered thousands of bewildered attendees into the tunnel.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of bewildered
Adjective
  • Dozens of media outlets, from international agencies to local TV stations to true crime podcasters, were inside the Lexington County courthouse to again chronicle every forehead rub and quizzical look from the once rich and imposing Southern lawyer.
    — Jeffrey Collins, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
  • By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of quizzical
Verb
  • Grantham said he was baffled by Wall Street banks’ recommendations to buy SpaceX for their clients.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 July 2026
  • Pz’ spends much of his proper debut, No Turning Back, equally baffled by his good fortune and ready to fasten it to his side with a Gucci strap before anyone else can take it.
    — Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 3 July 2026
Definition of baffled
Adjective
  • To his right, a young man is shooting on his iPhone while his friend interviews a bemused passerby.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The leasing officer who let us in watches from the doorway with a bemused smile as Parks films the space on her phone, clacking around the hardwood floors in nude heels and a backless seafoam dress, a Coach bag slung over her shoulder.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 14 July 2026
Definition of bemused
Adjective
  • Others like Cotton were reminded of past natural disasters, leaving them wary of stepping outside.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Such outlets may become wary of pursuing stories that could put them in the Administration’s crosshairs.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
Definition of wary
Verb
  • Workers at Doherty Staffing Solutions were perplexed when strangers started calling the office in response to recruitment texts — texts the firm never sent.
    — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026
  • The Wiener Kitchen diners weren’t the only Kansas Citians perplexed by this description.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
Definition of perplexed
Adjective
  • Still, stories of people surprised to find their homes inundated by rising rivers illustrate the challenges of trying to bolster early warning systems in a vast, rural area known as Flash Flood Alley.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
  • Just do not be surprised if the other parents start stealing the excuse.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2026
Definition of surprised
Adjective
  • At a time when global fashion is navigating economic uncertainty, shifting supply chains and cautious consumer spending, one country is making an unmistakably confident statement.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Those with underlying health conditions like asthma, COPD, heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or who are pregnant need to be extra cautious about breathing in wildfire smoke.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Definition of cautious

Browse Nearby Words

puzzle
puzzled
puzzled (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Puzzled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzled. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of puzzled for Spanish Speakers

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