as in confusing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in baffling
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 disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddling
Verb
-
Robertson had a good sequence throwing a big hit on Gage Goncalves and disrupting his shot attempt seconds later.—
Omar White,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025 -
Artificial intelligence is already disrupting numerous sectors across society.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Dodgers’ offense is more talented than the last 10 days have indicated, which makes this stretch all the more perplexing.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Their silence is a bit perplexing, given that many of them claim to be focused on current events and trending topics.—
Christian Paz,
Vox,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
-
James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Don’t come over here disturbing my peace if mahogany queens aren’t your preferred type.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Crimping is the process of severing a crop at the base and laying it over to create a decomposing thatch/mulch layer for the garden without disturbing the soil.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Anime and manga imagined both dystopian and utopian futures, using stories that were nostalgic, upsetting, or a blend of both to process collective trauma.—
Yii-Jan Lin,
The Conversation,
11 Apr. 2025
-
The idea of bringing new people to CMS, where hundreds of employees were recently fired as part of a sweeping reduction in force (RIF) at HHS, was upsetting to those who were present at the meeting.—
Leah Feiger,
Wired News,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For the Congolese government, the ineffective Western responses follow a dismaying pattern.—
Michela Wrong,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Americans, and a dismaying number of politicians, keep crying for a crackdown on crimes that aren’t happening.—
F.K. Plous,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The formula at the core of President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement that continues to rattle markets is bewildering economists, who say it is based on flawed assumptions.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The ominous thriller received a second trailer on Tuesday (April 1) as the Toronto singer/actor took viewers further into his bewildering odyssey.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
1 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Muddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share