as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a muddled arrangement of trophies in the display case
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in confused
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a car shopper thoroughly muddled by too much well-meaning advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddled
Matt Peterson, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
This switch-up to the formula makes new episodes of The Comeback compelling to watch, even as the season’s big-picture storytelling remains a bit muddled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Bose Soundbar Deal The Bose TV Soundbar is the ultimate cure for muddled cinematic dialogue.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Despite its muddled storylines, the tone, wit and characters give viewers several glimpses into Levy and Sennott’s quirky world.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
The cocktail list includes The Crag OF, a smooth take on an Old Fashioned, and the Irish Exit, a drink inspired by the Irish Maid, with elderflower, fresh lemon and muddled cucumber.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Dinner is preceded by a fireside drinks hour, which gives guests a chance to connect with each other and share highlights from the day’s game drives while sipping cocktails made with muddled herbs (grown on-site, of course).
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The war with Iran is grinding on with muddled goals, more service members heading overseas, rising energy prices, and growing Republican fears of ground troops.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
In the end, March Madness became a muddled mess as Florida’s push to repeat as national champions unraveled in a devastating loss to Iowa.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Player recruitment was muddled, managerial appointments flawed (Remi Garde lasted 147 days in that relegation season) and the team underperformed.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Cross-functional collaboration that isn’t muddled in hierarchy speeds up innovation.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Together the flavor is muddled, slightly discordant, but alone the Irish whiskey gets to sing, its apples and pears and slight malt and gentle touch a perfect foil to the zesty front palate of the lemon and the deep finish of the almonds.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
Costco's has a terrific taste and aroma of basil, but is muddled by an excess of creamy dairy.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2026
But the strategy has been muddled and confused many players.
—Jason Schreier, Bloomberg, 4 Mar. 2026
The motivation behind their murder spree and AI fuckery is muddled at best.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
In a time muddled by noise and packed schedules, many people are looking for a quiet spot to reset.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Warsh believes markets have driven those rates up in response to muddled policy from the Fed, including the recent spike in inflation after Covid — but going much further back, too.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
This switch-up to the formula makes new episodes of The Comeback compelling to watch, even as the season’s big-picture storytelling remains a bit muddled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Bose Soundbar Deal The Bose TV Soundbar is the ultimate cure for muddled cinematic dialogue.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Despite its muddled storylines, the tone, wit and characters give viewers several glimpses into Levy and Sennott’s quirky world.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
The cocktail list includes The Crag OF, a smooth take on an Old Fashioned, and the Irish Exit, a drink inspired by the Irish Maid, with elderflower, fresh lemon and muddled cucumber.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Dinner is preceded by a fireside drinks hour, which gives guests a chance to connect with each other and share highlights from the day’s game drives while sipping cocktails made with muddled herbs (grown on-site, of course).
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The war with Iran is grinding on with muddled goals, more service members heading overseas, rising energy prices, and growing Republican fears of ground troops.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
In the end, March Madness became a muddled mess as Florida’s push to repeat as national champions unraveled in a devastating loss to Iowa.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
But somewhere along the way the message of gratitude and goodwill got muddled.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Player recruitment was muddled, managerial appointments flawed (Remi Garde lasted 147 days in that relegation season) and the team underperformed.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Cross-functional collaboration that isn’t muddled in hierarchy speeds up innovation.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Together the flavor is muddled, slightly discordant, but alone the Irish whiskey gets to sing, its apples and pears and slight malt and gentle touch a perfect foil to the zesty front palate of the lemon and the deep finish of the almonds.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
Costco's has a terrific taste and aroma of basil, but is muddled by an excess of creamy dairy.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2026
But the strategy has been muddled and confused many players.
—Jason Schreier, Bloomberg, 4 Mar. 2026
The motivation behind their murder spree and AI fuckery is muddled at best.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
In a time muddled by noise and packed schedules, many people are looking for a quiet spot to reset.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddled
Adjective
-
Everything was hot, simple and a little messy in the best way.—
Melissa Oyler,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Shared spaces were left messy, personal belongings spread throughout the house, decor rearranged and boundaries ignored.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Valve’s upcoming Steam Controller (not to be confused with the 2015 controller of the same name) is the Steam maker’s effort to replace those controllers with something more explicitly designed for the PC, and for the upcoming Steam Machine.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The venomous coral snake does not have the telltale arrowhead shape and can often be confused with the nonvenomous kingsnake.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The United Nations Development Programme reports that higher energy prices, disrupted food systems, and economic slowdowns triggered by the war could push up to thirty-two million people globally into poverty.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Disasters threaten treatment The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration works with states to ensure that access to opioid use disorder medication isn't disrupted, Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said.—
Andrew Jones,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The ex-con who shot NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller to death during a chaotic Queens car stop was hit Monday with the maximum sentence of 115 years to life behind bars.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
With less than a year until Chicago’s next mayoral election and amid a growing field of prospective candidates, more city residents hold a dim view of incumbent Brandon Johnson than a positive one about his often-chaotic first term at City Hall, a new poll shows.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
The midseason trade felt relatively marginal compared to league-wide blockbusters that shuffled James Harden, Darius Garland and Anthony Davis.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Growing up in a military family, Vogel shuffled between the East Coast and Europe every two to three years.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Trust us, this works a lot better than trying to check off multiple boxes and ending up with an area that just feels jumbled.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The musical, which examines in jumbled chronology the five-year relationship between novelist Jamie and actress Cathy, debuted in Chicago in 2001 and opened off Broadway the following year.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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