as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in puzzled
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of befuddled
Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2024
The book is filled with humor, canny allusion, beauty, and a profundity born of glimpsing fleeting human lives from the outside—through eyes that have seen epochs yet nonetheless remain befuddled.
—The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
The Ukrainians to their credit shrugged off Russia’s apparent artillery superiority in Kursk, correctly surmising that befuddled gunners are useless gunners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024
McGregor, Ifans and Boyle play the befuddled adult children of a eccentric mother (Burstyn) who plants herself on a couch at a furniture store and won’t leave.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Adjective
After intermission, Davis becomes Poirot, while Hendrickson takes on the role of somewhat befuddled wingman in Arthur Hastings.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2024
The book is filled with humor, canny allusion, beauty, and a profundity born of glimpsing fleeting human lives from the outside—through eyes that have seen epochs yet nonetheless remain befuddled.
—The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
The Ukrainians to their credit shrugged off Russia’s apparent artillery superiority in Kursk, correctly surmising that befuddled gunners are useless gunners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024
McGregor, Ifans and Boyle play the befuddled adult children of a eccentric mother (Burstyn) who plants herself on a couch at a furniture store and won’t leave.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befuddled
Adjective
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But the on-again, off-again nature of the process has resulted in a bewildered industry that has adopted a wait and see approach to investment decisions and supply chain alterations.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Old Trafford was where distraught, bewildered fans felt physically compelled to go to express their grief.—
Michael Walker,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Case in point: his goal for Portugal Under-17s against Morocco in September 2023, a ludicrous solo effort that left a trail of dazed defenders scratching their heads and wondering what the hell had just happened.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Sea lions and dolphins have been observed rigid with seizures, acting dazed and confused.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Harris emphasizes nothing has yet changed but customers remain confused as to the status of the incentive and Harbinger’s IRA Risk Free Guarantee was created to mitigate that confusion.—
Ed Garsten,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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As Chelsea, Wood widens her eyes and slants her eyebrows up when confused, bares her teeth and scrunches her whole face in terror, and barely contains her smile when smitten.—
Ashliene McMenamy,
Allure,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Heat crowd was typical in its distracted energy.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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More than 3,300 Americans died in distracted driving crashes in 2022, according to federal statistics.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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However, anyone attempting to follow the bouncing tariff proposals may get dizzy.—
Bruce Yandle,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2025
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Maddie looks dizzy and panicked (more great face acting from Jennifer Love Hewitt).—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befuddled. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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