as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
most of the applicants were befuddled by the wording of one of the questions on the driving test
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of befuddled
Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Whitten Burrage’s petition quoted a befuddled internal 2023 email from Oklahoma City State Farm captive agent David Hoffhines.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Stainton Williams has been similarly befuddled by his interactions with Citizens.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Adjective
And a great character beat as Clark looks on in befuddled admiration.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
Whitten Burrage’s petition quoted a befuddled internal 2023 email from Oklahoma City State Farm captive agent David Hoffhines.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
And the offensive operation looked much smoother, as Payton meshed the Colts to death and befuddled their defense on a second-quarter touchdown in which tight end Adam Trautman split out wide.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Stainton Williams has been similarly befuddled by his interactions with Citizens.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled
Adjective
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Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.—
Darío Gael Blanco,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
-
My mother looked bewildered and even Father looked up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In his emotional breakdowns, Elliott buckles under his testy relationship with his mother Lynn and then wanders through gatherings and parties with a perpetually dazed expression.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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No one is immune to the lampooning, even the dazed and confused sons and daughters who get sidelined and pawned off due to their parents’ ambitions, neuroses and desires to achieve greatness.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The mass unemployment everyone feared is still missing Initial jobless claims rose to 214,000 in the most recent week surveyed but the overall trend remains down and Wall Street is slightly puzzled as to why.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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The city’s handling of its project to improve Clairemont’s Olive Grove Park, which has been underway for nearly two years, has left the community puzzled.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Shaknovsky, 44, appeared confused as deputies pulled him from the car and handcuffed him at a busy intersection in Miramar Beach, Florida, the video shows.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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At the first sight of a passenger’s confused look in front of an elevator, a crew member will step in to offer assistance.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Season 3 of Euphoria continues to stir up some controversy, one of the show’s stars is perplexed by Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) OnlyFans storyline.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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When James hit the tying three, the fans wearing the Rockets’ red T-shirts stood in stunned silence.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Instead, amid the loss of the iconic Goodall, stunned students pivoted to planting the first tree in her honor.—
Julianna Lozada,
Daily News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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SpaceX, the dominant player in the burgeoning commercial space market, is running behind on its huge lunar lander and is more distracted than ever with an initial sale of shares to the public that could raise as much as $75 billion.—
Thomas Black,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Experts say large gatherings — from Fiesta events to packed Spurs watch parties — can create the kind of close-quarters environment where bad actors may try to take advantage of distracted crowds.—
Jacob Beltran,
San Antonio Express-News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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