as in perplexing
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as in thwarting
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1
as in frustrating
to prevent from achieving a goal
the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference
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2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
she was baffled by the wording of the clause in the insurance policy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of baffling
Thomas Patier, Artforum, 27 Jan. 2026
In a somewhat baffling aside that failed to meet the moment, Jordan Klepper popped in, supposedly live from Minneapolis, to satirize the ever-shifting goalposts of the administration’s justifications for Pretti’s death.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
One morning, members of the Fort Greely missile defense base spot an ICBM of unknown origin on a suborbital trajectory heading straight for Chicago, baffling the country’s top intelligence and defense teams who only have 18 minutes to respond before impact.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Adjective
By their very existence, his baffling, colorful, alternative technologies explore the realm of the possible in a field typically associated with automation and uniformity.
—Thomas Patier, Artforum, 27 Jan. 2026
In a somewhat baffling aside that failed to meet the moment, Jordan Klepper popped in, supposedly live from Minneapolis, to satirize the ever-shifting goalposts of the administration’s justifications for Pretti’s death.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
That said, the good outweighs the baffling.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
As if dark energy weren't already mysterious and baffling enough, new research suggests that this unknown force may not be driving galaxies apart at an accelerating rate anymore.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
One morning, members of the Fort Greely missile defense base spot an ICBM of unknown origin on a suborbital trajectory heading straight for Chicago, baffling the country’s top intelligence and defense teams who only have 18 minutes to respond before impact.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffling
Adjective
-
The oven was equally perplexing.—
Jason Fried,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
-
It’s been part of a perplexing trend this season for Peterson, who has missed 10 full games and notable portions of 10 others with nagging injuries.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Yes, Tuesday night’s concert was also occasionally puzzling in its choices.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Just add it to the list of examples of puzzling goalie interference calls.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Here's a breakdown of the somewhat confusing chain of events from this week.—
Hannah Hudnall,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Feb. 2026
-
What’s confusing is that Kevan is so confused to be stood up.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Inflation has weighed on shoppers, and customers have voiced frustration over cluttered stores and inconsistent merchandise that strayed from the retailer’s identity as a polished, affordable-chic chain.—
Emily Lorsch,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
-
DeRozan said Sacramento’s poor play was the source of his outward show of frustration following an alley-oop dunk by Zion Williamson in the third period.—
HECTOR AMEZCUA,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The move comes as the container shipping industry at large is reeling from declines in freight rates over the past year, hampering the bottom lines of many carriers.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
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The outages have affected Anastasia’s work, hampering her ability to respond to clients via messaging apps.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Baffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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