as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a muddled arrangement of trophies in the display case
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddled
Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
This is an impossible task – partly due to Trump’s own muddled thinking – but most importantly, because Putin does not want peace.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
And yet, introducing new antagonists through a muddled mystery, the core Conjuring mythology nearly cracks beyond repair.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Security, errors, and trust dominate the risk analysis Despite the hype and muddled terminology, the core idea of AI agents—systems designed to autonomously take action to carry out specific tasks—is still generating a lot of justifiable excitement.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
The picture is far more muddled, and economists are split over whether Powell will telegraph a likely rate decrease next month or a continuation of the Fed’s wait-and-see approach.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
If anything, this juxtaposition makes the Moomins perfect guides through our muddled moment, online and off.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Much of the display seemed muddled and unclear.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
The process has been so muddled that officials for key trade partners were unclear at the start of the week whether the tariffs would begin Thursday or Friday.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
An internal review found that communication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was muddled and inconsistent.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Yet, given the market's heavy tilt to megacap tech, any leading economic signal from such a turnaround could be muddled.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
After Achane, the picture is muddled.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
What Dracula has to do with that story is not entirely clear, and Jude’s propos can feel both muddled by the exhaustive material, as well as too obvious in places.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
His argument is muddled, decrying our reliance on fossil fuels while dismissing efforts to devise alternatives.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Over the course of a few hours in Washington on Tuesday, the increasingly muddled state of public health unfolded.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
This is an impossible task – partly due to Trump’s own muddled thinking – but most importantly, because Putin does not want peace.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
And yet, introducing new antagonists through a muddled mystery, the core Conjuring mythology nearly cracks beyond repair.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Security, errors, and trust dominate the risk analysis Despite the hype and muddled terminology, the core idea of AI agents—systems designed to autonomously take action to carry out specific tasks—is still generating a lot of justifiable excitement.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
The picture is far more muddled, and economists are split over whether Powell will telegraph a likely rate decrease next month or a continuation of the Fed’s wait-and-see approach.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
If anything, this juxtaposition makes the Moomins perfect guides through our muddled moment, online and off.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Much of the display seemed muddled and unclear.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
The process has been so muddled that officials for key trade partners were unclear at the start of the week whether the tariffs would begin Thursday or Friday.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
The unease is muddled, and the characters seem less vulnerable as a result.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
An internal review found that communication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was muddled and inconsistent.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Yet, given the market's heavy tilt to megacap tech, any leading economic signal from such a turnaround could be muddled.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
After Achane, the picture is muddled.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
What Dracula has to do with that story is not entirely clear, and Jude’s propos can feel both muddled by the exhaustive material, as well as too obvious in places.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
His argument is muddled, decrying our reliance on fossil fuels while dismissing efforts to devise alternatives.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddled
Adjective
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Depending on how things shake out in court, representation could get messy for west Charlotte’s City Council District 3.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And that the wig was messy, but cute.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The office had been working with elderly, low-income and disabled people to see what most confused them about SSA processes and what would most help them if these were redesigned.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Forgive some Colorado Avalanche fans if they’re confused by the lack of noise as training camp beckons.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And while those enforcement actions have not yet translated into criminal cases or fines against the employers, the raids themselves in some cases significantly disrupted business operations.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Muscle cramps and playing surfaces As muscles fatigue, the normal balance between signals in the nervous system that direct muscles to contract and relax become disrupted.—
Michael Hales,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is a young and talented group with tremendous upside under a defensive coordinator who thrives off chaotic defensive lines.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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But everything about this first half offensively — save for one TD pass to Sutton — has felt unorganized and ineffective and chaotic.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The comment sections of each video documenting the saga was flooded with people baffled by how the pair ended up in the situation.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Willis, a seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who starred for the San Francisco 49ers, was baffled by Jerry Jones sending Parsons to Green Bay.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Budget cuts are about to bring big changes to San Diego’s 37 neighborhood library branches — including shorter hours, shuffled staff and rescheduled activities.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
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Over the past two months, he’s been shuffled through three detention centers despite attempts to pay a bond set by the immigration judge.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But a patchwork of injunctions that have yet to reach the justices remain in place, creating a jumbled situation that keeps reductions at specific agencies on ice.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Finally, the object had an unusual shape that puzzled astronomers.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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This mystery puzzled scientists because ice was not supposed to behave like that.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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