as in perplexing
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as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code
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Recent Examples of mystifying
Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026
The outlandish and mystifying story received nearly wall-to-wall coverage, but the plane was never found.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) January 31, 2026 Then Peterson played just three minutes in the second half before heading to the bench, limited by the return of nagging injuries that have sidelined him for a good portion of his mystifying rookie season.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Perimeter shooters went cold, finishing at the rim turned into a mystifying struggle, and the offense wasn’t able to capitalize after creating advantages behind the play by switch-hunting Doncic.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
The idea that these enormities wouldn’t have negative electoral ramifications is mystifying.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Though maybe also mystifying it even more.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
In this regard, an emotional, mystifying club remains exactly the same.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Exhibitions, no matter their theme, always had a way of mystifying me.
—Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026
People were talking about Roman Abramovich, the oil-and-aluminum billionaire, who was running for governor of Chukotka, mystifying everybody.
—Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
But in rare cases, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle—mystifying scientists and clinicians.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025
The 2025-26 Nuggets, even after their mystifying 131-121 loss to the Mavericks on Monday, remain narrowly on pace to break the franchise wins record of 57.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The Mets’ continual snub of Hall of Famer Carter, a pivotal player in the team’s history as the first building block of the 1986 championship club, is both mystifying and downright embarrassing.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026
The outlandish and mystifying story received nearly wall-to-wall coverage, but the plane was never found.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) January 31, 2026 Then Peterson played just three minutes in the second half before heading to the bench, limited by the return of nagging injuries that have sidelined him for a good portion of his mystifying rookie season.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Perimeter shooters went cold, finishing at the rim turned into a mystifying struggle, and the offense wasn’t able to capitalize after creating advantages behind the play by switch-hunting Doncic.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
There are few people in the world who know the mystifying experience of being a child star as well as Brandy.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
The idea that these enormities wouldn’t have negative electoral ramifications is mystifying.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Though maybe also mystifying it even more.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
In this regard, an emotional, mystifying club remains exactly the same.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Exhibitions, no matter their theme, always had a way of mystifying me.
—Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026
People were talking about Roman Abramovich, the oil-and-aluminum billionaire, who was running for governor of Chukotka, mystifying everybody.
—Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
But in rare cases, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle—mystifying scientists and clinicians.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025
The 2025-26 Nuggets, even after their mystifying 131-121 loss to the Mavericks on Monday, remain narrowly on pace to break the franchise wins record of 57.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mystifying
Adjective
-
The judging is vexing and perplexing.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Radziwill’s absence has been somewhat perplexing.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This inversion explains a host of baffling political and cultural phenomena of late.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The steel pipe's unexpected growth spurt was reported to police early Wednesday by a pedestrian who saw broken pieces of asphalt falling from the cylinder, baffling people passing by and causing traffic congestion.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
More puzzling, critics said, has been the union’s response to other farmworker advocates.—
Marcos Breton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
On the flip side, Orlando has been a puzzling disappointment, a team — just like the Heat — that has followed a seven-game winning streak with an ongoing five-game losing streak.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There aren’t many ways to earn a club’s first win better than bewildering the league’s defending champions at their place.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
-
McNutt housed some 700 kids — about one-third of the population of French Lick — and Bird found the campus outside the dormitory walls bewildering.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This device is a high-tech centrifuge that simulates microgravity by spinning vials with samples around two axes, effectively confusing the cells inside as to their position in space.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
During the Second World War, the Allies put a special effort into confusing the Axis powers.—
David Szondy
March 25,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The goggles, the GPS address and the laptop — all of it was strong evidence supporting the bizarre story Denise and Aaron had been telling all along.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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His YouTube page, once an online venue for his songs, was more recently dedicated to paranoid rants about his family members, some centering on his relationship with his grandfather, and others where Valdez displayed bizarre behavior like imitating Nazi soldiers.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some 18 months ago, Mack said, the Royals launched a deep dive after Picollo broached the possibility of exploring strange new worlds.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But rather than avoiding strange quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement, Bennett and Brassard embraced them.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mystifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mystifying. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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