1
as in bewildered
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2
as in quizzical
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as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors
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Recent Examples of puzzled
K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
Autoimmune diseases—a broad and complex category of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes—have long puzzled researchers.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Clean energy companies are even more puzzled.
—Justin Worland, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
High above the forests of the Sauerland, though a popular hiking spot today, individuals from the Iron Age decided to fortify this location with rocks, but why these Iron Age men would secure the mountain puzzled archaeologists.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 7 Mar. 2026
Two of them seemed puzzled by the phrase, struggling to parse out its meaning, while the third instinctively got it.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
The looks grew even more puzzled when Weir, known as the most boyishly handsome member of the Dead, grew facial hair, prompting comparisons to a Civil War reenactor or the cartoon character Yosemite Sam.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
He was greeted by puzzled expressions.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Despite ever-deeper foundations for higher and heavier towers — the latest now extend 20 stories down, more than twice as deep as the foundations of the city’s first towers — some oceanfront buildings still settled at amounts that puzzled engineers.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
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
Instead, a number of chimpanzees took off running, leaving Sandel and fellow researcher John Mitani puzzled.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
His award recognizes his contributions to settle several questions in differential geometry that had puzzled mathematicians since the 1970s and 1980s.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
The diminutive scale of Giacometti’s proposal—a nondescript bust atop a small square base—puzzled his colleagues.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Both men regularly bash Trump during their monologues, but the president’s tirade against the Pope left them puzzled to the point of near-speechlessness.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
There are, however, many lacunae in Paul’s writing and life that have puzzled readers.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
But how Bhuva's name came to be listed on reimbursements for at least 2,800 patients across 126 California hospices in 2024 is a question that has puzzled advocates who have tracked the unusual explosion of hospice providers in Southern California in recent years.
—Grace Manthey, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Just how much plants can sense in the world around them has long puzzled researchers.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
Autoimmune diseases—a broad and complex category of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes—have long puzzled researchers.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Clean energy companies are even more puzzled.
—Justin Worland, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
High above the forests of the Sauerland, though a popular hiking spot today, individuals from the Iron Age decided to fortify this location with rocks, but why these Iron Age men would secure the mountain puzzled archaeologists.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 7 Mar. 2026
Two of them seemed puzzled by the phrase, struggling to parse out its meaning, while the third instinctively got it.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
The looks grew even more puzzled when Weir, known as the most boyishly handsome member of the Dead, grew facial hair, prompting comparisons to a Civil War reenactor or the cartoon character Yosemite Sam.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
He was greeted by puzzled expressions.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Despite ever-deeper foundations for higher and heavier towers — the latest now extend 20 stories down, more than twice as deep as the foundations of the city’s first towers — some oceanfront buildings still settled at amounts that puzzled engineers.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
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
Instead, a number of chimpanzees took off running, leaving Sandel and fellow researcher John Mitani puzzled.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
His award recognizes his contributions to settle several questions in differential geometry that had puzzled mathematicians since the 1970s and 1980s.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
The diminutive scale of Giacometti’s proposal—a nondescript bust atop a small square base—puzzled his colleagues.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Both men regularly bash Trump during their monologues, but the president’s tirade against the Pope left them puzzled to the point of near-speechlessness.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
There are, however, many lacunae in Paul’s writing and life that have puzzled readers.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
But how Bhuva's name came to be listed on reimbursements for at least 2,800 patients across 126 California hospices in 2024 is a question that has puzzled advocates who have tracked the unusual explosion of hospice providers in Southern California in recent years.
—Grace Manthey, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzled
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
Carpenter responded with a quizzical frown.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Lane was gifted with that kind of face and personality, too, replete with diagonal eyebrows that join his cheekbones in a quizzical demeanor that, throughout his career, has signaled the joys of life.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
10 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
Adjective
-
An utterly delectable novel set in Beirut during and after the Lebanese Civil War, about a 72-year-old translator of Western novels into Arabic, an eccentric steeped in books who shares with us her capacious literary sensibility and often bemused vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Giddey gave a bemused nod, then a smile.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The mood on Friday was celebratory yet wary.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Despite some recent all-time stock market highs, most Americans are wary about investing.—
Emily Guskin,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
You’ll be greeted by a team of bellhops at the entrance, eager to whisk your bags away, but don’t be surprised if service is slow to the point of nonexistent after that.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Martin, who is already signed for next season, will be part of it, but don’t be surprised if New York signs someone else either on a cheap, short-term deal or a professional tryout contract.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Be cautious of any company that pushes a specific program without understanding your circumstances.—
Rebecca Safier,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Visitors should be cautious about going into a sea cave without a guide, as a swell can flow into it and dramatically raise the water level in a matter of seconds, pushing kayaks into rocks and leaving little air for those trapped inside.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puzzled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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