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
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
Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
So, Horn’s opportunity for activation seems muddled at best — justified or not.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2025
What was meant to be constructive ends up muddled.
—George Bradt, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The unease is muddled, and the characters seem less vulnerable as a result.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 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
Every school was feeling its way around to some degree when the NCAA rule changes arrived in the summer of 2021, and myriad state laws muddled the picture even further.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
So, Horn’s opportunity for activation seems muddled at best — justified or not.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2025
What was meant to be constructive ends up muddled.
—George Bradt, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The unease is muddled, and the characters seem less vulnerable as a result.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 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
-
The film had transformed from the messy, illogical version I’d first seen into a hilarious, shrewd, contemplative work of art.—
Susan Orlean,
New Yorker,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Integrating such a messy light source into a silicon photonics chip required careful engineering.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Though some might be confused by insurance companies sending letters urging consumers to get screened, some advocates say any awareness about colon cancer screening is welcome.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The second-year coach appeared to be confused after the foul call before exiting the court and heading into the locker room tunnel.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These dolphins exhibited 536 altered genes, indicating disrupted GABAergic synapses, changes in the basement membrane, and increased Alzheimer's risk factors, which worsen with each bloom season.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Air travel was snarled during the more than month-long government shutdown that ended in January 2019, hours after a shortfall of air traffic controllers disrupted flights in the New York area.—
Lillian Rizzo,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In this chaotic world of busy schedules, stressful current events and personal responsibilities, growing distracted from your internal world is common.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Not because it was magicked away by her brain’s chaotic bonds, but because her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), abruptly returned and got the job done.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And suddenly, Glenn and the Jets headed to halftime without running a play in the nearly 40 seconds at their disposal, a move that baffled both their loyalists in New Jersey and the Broncos’ sideline across the pond.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
-
What started as a tense visit quickly escalated into a situation that left the whole family baffled and frustrated.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Doctors shuffled her between units — labor and delivery, then other departments — but never ordered a CT scan.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The Sharks also shuffled their defense pairs for Monday’s practice, with Dmitry Orlov and Mario Ferraro forming the top line, Nick Leddy with Timothy Liljegren, and Sam Dickinson paired with John Klingberg.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
While Texas Tech has emerged as the clear favorite to win the conference (-120 odds on BetMGM), the chasing pack is still a jumbled mess.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
And the free options just make life harder with jumbled formatting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As my children both turned toward me, puzzled at my silence, the last three decades unfurled.—
Sofía Pereda,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
-
How asteroids get their spin In recent decades, astronomers have been puzzled by why some asteroids rotate like spinning tops while others tumble through space in chaotic, unpredictable ways.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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