1
as in jumble
a state in which everything is out of order
things at the newly built school were all in a muddle on opening day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in daze
a state of mental confusion
I was in such a muddle after the accident that I didn't know where I was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
the new, supposedly improved forms simply put taxpayers in a bigger muddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in variety
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
a muddle of old magazines piled on the shelves
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to confuse
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 to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muddle
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
That muddle is making a dangerous situation even more potentially volatile.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 23 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for muddle
Noun
Another muddle concerns his expectations of economic gains from artificial intelligence.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
That muddle is making a dangerous situation even more potentially volatile.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for muddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddle
Noun
-
Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those around me were in a daze.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Greene made the catch, and Meadows landed on his back in a daze, barely moving with his hands pointed up and blood appearing on his face.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As Mars pushes against Jupiter, doing too much creates confusion.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
But in the confusion and shock of the shutdown, few travelers appeared to notice, or make use of, the offers.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Notably, Bauhinia blakeana is a sterile hybrid, resulting from the cross-pollination of two different plant varieties.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
Although Abel will be driving the meeting, Berkshire shareholders are likely to still poise a wide variety of questions to the company’s leadership.—
Yun Li,Alex Harring,Sarah Min,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
But when an audition for the sixth film came through, he was initially confused by the prospect of rejoining a franchise in which his character had already died.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
2 May 2026
-
The Pace exhibition also included photographs of unidentified objects orbiting Earth and kite-like sculptures resembling military satellites designed to confuse enemy radars.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Allen was injured but was not shot during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton, which disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
Several airlines are offering limited-time fares to help accommodate passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by Spirit’s closure.—
Scott Laird,
Travel + Leisure,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Congress is going to have to address the mess created by not enforcing past immigration laws.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
This compounds the mess inherent to cooking with a young child, who, turns out, is apt to get as much flour on the floor as inside the bowl.—
Rachel Tepper Paley,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
But when the bands of light begin to balletically twirl, pulse, jump, fade, and then burst back like a tornado pushing through the Wizard’s green haze in Oz, sleep is all but forgotten.—
Heather Greenwood Davis,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In my own haze of 'round-the-clock feeds and first-time-parent anxiety, my mom seemed something of a miraculous blur.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddle. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
