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
Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
The 1988 original was a critical punching bag for its muddled storytelling, despite the pedigree of its songwriters.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 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
Coming off the muddled, troubling end to the regular season, with two of their best wins, and their two worst losses within the last handful of games, the UConn men needed a play to start the healing process.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Since then, the explanations that the president and his team have offered for the invasion have grown only more muddled.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
The numbers paint a muddled picture.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Above a muddled Southland college basketball landscape, a heartwarming, heart-stopping story has arisen.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
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
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
That has muddled the overall picture.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The message gets muddled but this eco-conscious journey is charming.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
With too much going on, its presentation can become muddled, and there’s a chance different sections of the track won’t come through clearly.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
The 1988 original was a critical punching bag for its muddled storytelling, despite the pedigree of its songwriters.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 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
Coming off the muddled, troubling end to the regular season, with two of their best wins, and their two worst losses within the last handful of games, the UConn men needed a play to start the healing process.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Since then, the explanations that the president and his team have offered for the invasion have grown only more muddled.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
The numbers paint a muddled picture.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Above a muddled Southland college basketball landscape, a heartwarming, heart-stopping story has arisen.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
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
That has muddled the overall picture.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The message gets muddled but this eco-conscious journey is charming.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddled
Adjective
-
Beyond the hardware, it’s packed with AI features like Circle to Search for instant lookups and Handwriting Assist to tidy up your messy notes, all backed by a 20-hour battery that lasts well beyond the standard workday.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Things with Turner got messy quickly with custody issues rearing their head, but seemed to have settled down now.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And now New Idea is reporting that Baker’s ex, Rebecca Rigg, who is very close to Kidman, is a bit confused by the situation.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In addition, DraftKings argues that consumers aren’t confused by DraftKings’ use of March Madness.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The strikes temporarily disrupted the spacecraft’s electrical systems, but quick action by mission control kept the mission on track.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But oil bound for Asia from this new exit point still has to pass through Bab el-Mandeb to avoid the long way around, meaning it could be disrupted.—
Flavio Macau,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The fan disappointment was echoed in the community dedicated to Barbie on Reddit, where many called out the organizers for such a chaotic event.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The footage captures a chaotic moment many pet owners recognize instantly—when curiosity tips over into trouble.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No one, not even Jason — who is baffled at the galley’s sudden collapse — is more surprised at Ellie’s outburst than Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
-
On Sunday, Roan responded on Instagram, seemingly baffled by the swirling controversy.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Royals shuffled their outfield this offseason.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The living room has been moved to the second floor in the plans and other rooms were shuffled around, though the project’s size and general design remain roughly the same.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Initially intriguing, the jumbled chronology eventually proves to be largely decorative until a disappointing late-reel twist explains why the labored device was deployed in the first place.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But Buffon protested that a system of tidy categories based upon a single criterion belied the lush and jumbled profusion of nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The remains of these unknown creatures often puzzled their discoverers.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
-
This has puzzled researchers because lithium metal is soft, while the ceramic electrolytes used in these batteries are rigid.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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