puzzled 1 of 2

puzzled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of puzzle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzled
Adjective
  • More than a year later, the campus remains in a state of bewildered unease.
    Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
  • But for many bewildered observers, both explanations for Trump’s extraordinary pivot to the Kremlin seem equally misplaced.
    Matthew Chance, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In a restaurant, therefore, raise a quizzical eyebrow at any risotto that reaches the table in less than twenty-five minutes.
    Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Goose is following his path, looking for brains and leaving laughter and quizzical looks behind. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
    Eric Fuller, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • His manner with the girl is more bemused, placating.
    Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Admittedly the punishment might have been more for the apparent threat than the taboo language, but she was docked a point — which happened to be match point, handing the win to a bemused Kim Clijsters — and later fined $10,500 (£6,300 at the time).
    Nick Miller, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Cuban compared people who are wary of adopting AI tools in the workplace to those who were once afraid to embrace PCs and mobile devices.
    Tom Huddleston Jr.,Megan Sauer, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Egypt is wary of the Muslim Brotherhood in which Hamas has its roots and has been fighting militant insurgents in the Sinai Peninsula, which neighbors Gaza.
    Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Kris, 69, seemed surprised at the topic even crossing her daughter's mind.
    Julia Moore, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • But Marcia Fulton, mother of 15-year-old victim Desiree Wheatley, told USA TODAY that she was disappointed in the stay but not surprised.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Some loyal Tesla bulls are treating the drop as a temporary setback (or even a buying opportunity), while more cautious investors are rethinking their exposure.
    Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • He’s played fewer than 15 minutes in every game since his return, and while his minutes will ramp up, the Knicks have to be cautious with a player coming off two stress fractures in the same ankle.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Many people get confused by these forms which contain code and jargon that rarely offer a clear explanation of anything.
    Steve Weisman, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Not to be confused with DEI training, skill building is a way to help people improve their communication skills, negotiation style and overall understanding of relevant topics, all while leveling up professionally.
    Doug Melville, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • That’s certainly what the Holland trailer feels like, putting Nicole Kidman at the center of a paranoid satire about a seemingly picture-perfect Michigan homemaker whose husband (Matthew Macfadyen) is up to … something.
    Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Or is Julia, as the men in her life keep telling her, just being paranoid?
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 27 Feb. 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Puzzled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzled. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

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