befuddled
adjective
be·fud·dled
bi-ˈfə-dᵊld 
bē-
: utterly confused or puzzled : deeply perplexed
… somebody may be so befuddled and self-destructive as to miss the point entirely.—
Anne B. Fisher
Anne B. FisherI just asked her to please talk to my agent, who understood what was going on, not me. … frankly, I didn't know what to do, or whom to believe. I was totally befuddled.—John Nichols
John NicholsExamples of befuddled in a Sentence
the perennially befuddled professor was always forgetting where she'd left her glasses
Recent Examples on the Web
Though voters gave Labour a large parliamentary majority in 2024, Starmer has seemed befuddled about how to wield it.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Audiences felt the same way — moved, if befuddled — during her 2013 Golden Globes speech.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
That didn’t stop Peters’ befuddled lawyer, fake pardon in hand, from visiting the prison only to be turned away.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
During the third quarter, the stadium emptied; on the sideline, Belichick looked befuddled, constantly fiddling with his headset.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
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Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Audiences felt the same way — moved, if befuddled — during her 2013 Golden Globes speech.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
That didn’t stop Peters’ befuddled lawyer, fake pardon in hand, from visiting the prison only to be turned away.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
During the third quarter, the stadium emptied; on the sideline, Belichick looked befuddled, constantly fiddling with his headset.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for befuddled
Cite this Entry
“Befuddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/befuddled. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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