as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
baffled viewers didn't know what to make of the strange antics of the talk show host
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frustrated
to prevent from achieving a goal
the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
she was baffled by the wording of the clause in the insurance policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of baffled
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2026
Spotted hyenas long baffled naturalists.
—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Everyone looks pretty baffled at what Mwepu Ilunga has done, not least his team-mates.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
The admission prompted baffled comments from a veteran federal judge.
—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
The Sooners’ uncanny postseason successes leave many baffled.
—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
The Young Man had never been more confused, conflicted, baffled.
—
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
For 166 years, documents found with this sailor’s remains baffled researchers — until genetics provided an answer.
—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Turner remained baffled why the broadcast giants — ABC, NBC and CBS — hadn't launched cable stations.
—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
6 May 2026
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Known as the Galactic Center Excess, a spherical gamma-ray glow extending out for thousands of light-years from the core of our galaxy, this high-energy light has baffled researchers for over a decade.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 June 2026
They were equally baffled by the aggressive flavorlessness of a Michelob Ultra.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
New York Knicks radio broadcaster Tyler Murray was baffled Wednesday night.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Social media is thick with ex-players baffled that their years in uniform count for so little with modern decision-makers.
—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Now, as like most North Americans, I was baffled by Brexit and opposed it.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
This new dating trend is leaving people baffled and heartbroken.
—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
But he was baffled as to why people are now incensed over pickleball courts.
—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2026
Adjective
The arrests mark a dramatic turn in a case that baffled investigators for more than a decade and left Graham's family searching for answers as her body remained missing.
—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2026
Spotted hyenas long baffled naturalists.
—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Everyone looks pretty baffled at what Mwepu Ilunga has done, not least his team-mates.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
The admission prompted baffled comments from a veteran federal judge.
—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
The Sooners’ uncanny postseason successes leave many baffled.
—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
The Young Man had never been more confused, conflicted, baffled.
—
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
For 166 years, documents found with this sailor’s remains baffled researchers — until genetics provided an answer.
—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Turner remained baffled why the broadcast giants — ABC, NBC and CBS — hadn't launched cable stations.
—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
6 May 2026
Verb
His mother, Ahmani Hicks, describes him as a kid who loved sports, and she's baffled as to why her son was targeted.
—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Known as the Galactic Center Excess, a spherical gamma-ray glow extending out for thousands of light-years from the core of our galaxy, this high-energy light has baffled researchers for over a decade.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 June 2026
They were equally baffled by the aggressive flavorlessness of a Michelob Ultra.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
New York Knicks radio broadcaster Tyler Murray was baffled Wednesday night.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Social media is thick with ex-players baffled that their years in uniform count for so little with modern decision-makers.
—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Now, as like most North Americans, I was baffled by Brexit and opposed it.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
This new dating trend is leaving people baffled and heartbroken.
—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
But he was baffled as to why people are now incensed over pickleball courts.
—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffled
Adjective
-
At the time, 95% of the folks working at our theater were either perplexed or disdainful of this project.
-
Olivia stops at an exhibit depicting two Minions, James and Henry (all the Minions are voiced by Coffin), and is perplexed when no one present appears to have heard of them, at least by name.
Verb
-
Some women are frustrated, worried they are being left behind.
-
Yet from No Child Left Behind through the push for the Common Core into today’s zeal for science of reading, policy leaders are frustrated that the version of policy that occurs in the classroom does not match their vision.
Verb
-
Pochettino seemed puzzled by the downcast tone of his post-match press conference.
-
Astronomers are puzzled that such a glaring inconsistency could have gone unnoticed in existing data, such as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which provides our earliest snapshot of the universe.
Adjective
-
Fido was fine, if a little bewildered, and in February 1973, the board lifted its book bans.
-
At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?
Verb
-
Chwalińska took a medical timeout for an ankle injury at the end of the game and was clearly hampered by it for the rest of the match.
-
Securing reservations at elite restaurants and bars has become a competitive, multi-billion dollar market, often hampered by bots and fragmented systems.
Verb
-
Narcissism should never be confused with the healthy form of philautia, a unique Greek philosophy of self-love.
-
One workshop is a Mindful Archery class, not to be confused with her other course Meditative Archery, which involves Jungian journaling; and there’s a one-on-one archery session with spiritual guidance.
Adjective
-
Practically speaking, shoes are an easier, less expensive and fraught acquisition than clothes (few people are embarrassed by their shoe size).
-
Larry David is pretty, pretty, pretty embarrassed right now.
Cite this Entry
“Baffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffled. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
