as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in inexplicable
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2
as in perplexing
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puzzling
Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Upon further investigation, Mazzola learned the puzzling way UnitedHealthcare diverted the money — drawing up checks payable to Mazzola’s practice and then depositing them into a UnitedHealthcare bank account, the documents show.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 20 June 2025
Evan Bush, NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024
The recent sightings of puzzling unidentified aircraft in New Jersey and other states have triggered yet another round of unanswered questions — and fueled conspiracy theories.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puzzling
Verb
Down the stretch and into the playoffs, he was also hampered by a puzzling illness that clearly impacted his effectiveness.
—Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Upon further investigation, Mazzola learned the puzzling way UnitedHealthcare diverted the money — drawing up checks payable to Mazzola’s practice and then depositing them into a UnitedHealthcare bank account, the documents show.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 20 June 2025
Adjective
But in several puzzling cases, no source of infection has been identified.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024
The recent sightings of puzzling unidentified aircraft in New Jersey and other states have triggered yet another round of unanswered questions — and fueled conspiracy theories.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puzzling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzling
Adjective
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The Padres’ first game post-deadline got off to a slow start, but an inexplicable decision and an error by Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras helped lead to a four-run fifth inning and got the Padres on their way to a 4-1 victory.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Aug. 2025
-
To make matters more inexplicable, the council promoted the assistant city manager to the top post, paying her a base salary of $363,000.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Less than two weeks ago, the Angels made the perplexing decision not to sell high on any of their veterans at the trade deadline.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
-
That’s a perplexing combination for an offense led by the best quarterback in football, and even more so for an offense that has been trained to play move-the-chains football.—
Sam McDowell
August 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Struggling to keep up with his fast-rising debts, he is offered a lifeline by the mysterious Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a casino employee with secrets of her own.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
19 Aug. 2025
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That would be the mysterious Dao Ming (Shang-Chi‘s Fala Chen), a casino employee with secrets of her own.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Here are just a few examples of the baffling details that the film tries to convince viewers are completely reasonable.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Even loyal fans may take occasional issue with a feature that’s by turns absurdist, philosophical, violent, wayward, satirical and baffling.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some events, perhaps especially those that are morally incomprehensible, need to be wrestled with on a human level.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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To many others, the value of these relationships is incomprehensible.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But the path to controlling it often feels unclear or overwhelming.—
Dan Galorath,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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The exact timing of the disruption is unclear, so the potential aurora borealis could be visible any time between 11pm on Aug. 7 through Aug. 9.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The indictment of Adams’ former top advisor came a day after another member of Adams’ inner circle became embroiled in a bizarre apparent bribery attempt involving a news reporter.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
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This descriptor originated from internet memes about bizarre scenarios happening in the state of Ohio.—
Mia Thurow,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The law is vague and broad and included no room for considering the literary merit of the work, and so the result was a wave of book bans across the state.—
Peter Greene,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
My ideas around him were vague and uninformed, mostly of the stiff host tolerating the younger acts.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzling. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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