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 puzzlement The murder mystery exists at the intersection of Elsbeth and Shondaland’s other White House show, Scandal, combining political intrigue with parlor-room puzzlement—and that parlor happens to be located in the most famous house in America. Scarlett Harris, Architectural Digest, 3 Apr. 2025 In recent interviews, Selzer expressed dismay and continuing puzzlement. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024 Many progressives expressed puzzlement at how the party had failed to conduct a proper autopsy on the last election cycle. William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025 Not surprisingly, this proposal provoked fierce resistance and puzzlement from Middle Eastern stakeholders, U.S. allies, and even some Congressional Republicans. Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puzzlement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzlement
Noun
  • This program was designed to provide shorter, clearer letters to reduce taxpayer confusion.
    Cindy McGhee, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
  • Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • Joseph Vacher was executed via guillotine after he was found guilty of murder, but the true number of his victims remains a mystery Few know the name Joseph Vacher — even though his crimes surpassed those of the world’s most infamous serial killers.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 18 May 2025
  • The identity of the man in the photo remained a mystery to the outside world until USA TODAY sought clarification from federal officials.
    Rick Jervis, USA Today, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2025
  • Fans saw through the fog from the beginning, and each slight felt more telling than the last.
    Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 5 May 2025
Noun
  • The reaction across the region ranged from frantic stockpiling to confused bewilderment to calmly hunkering down and making do with old-fashioned electricity-free ways of living.
    Natasha Frost, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
  • To the alternating fascination, bewilderment and envy of its European neighbors, Switzerland, population nearly 9 million, has more bunkers per capita than anywhere else in the world — enough to guarantee shelter space to every single resident in the event of a crisis.
    Jessi Jezewska Stevens, The Dial, 24 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puzzlement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzlement. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on puzzlement

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!