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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in perplexing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in thwarting
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of baffling
Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Being only five years old, the news was baffling to Sally.
—Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
That’s baffling to me that it was even checked.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Verb
Meanwhile, his defense has gone from a Gold Glove-winning asset to an utterly baffling liability.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Being only five years old, the news was baffling to Sally.
—Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
In the last few years, researchers have stumbled upon baffling signals from deep space, uncovered strange features hiding beneath our oceans, and found clues that hint at life’s secrets on other worlds.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
That’s baffling to me that it was even checked.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffling
Verb
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Staying away from puzzling lines like this is typically the best move.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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After getting entangled in a puzzling murder, the two go on the run to solve the case while also trying to piece their relationship back together.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is especially perplexing when supermassive black holes are seen in a time when the universe was less than 1 billion years old.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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For nearly five decades, NASA's twin Voyager probes have plumbed the cosmos in search of answers to some of astronomy's most perplexing mysteries about our solar system and its place in the wider universe.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With few credible projects elsewhere, and with legal and political battles still hampering California, the outlook isn’t good.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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Since Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Manchester United 10 months ago, the team’s struggles to score goals have been hampering them.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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Its ginormous investments in higher-value, tech-heavy sectors from smartphones to autos to semiconductors to biotechnology are disrupting the global landscape at bewildering speed.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And determining when someone is dead is the critical but confusing question at play.—
Cara Anthony,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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For example, the eye glass space was largely fractured, confusing, and not customer-friendly before Warby Parker entered the scene with exceptional client experience, a focus on customer service and convenience, and a user-friendly product.—
Brandon Aversano,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There have been frustrations over how long the process has taken, with the leadership uncertainty further complicated by the exit of CEO Alex Mahon over the summer.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
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Poor Harriet, a gallery assistant who has been harassed since the pilot, gets the brunt of Laura’s frustration.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Tuesday will go down as one of Boston’s most confounding losses of the season, a 4-3 defeat in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles in which the club went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Beyond its nuclear-deterrence mission, the B-2’s long range and payload capacity have enabled it to deliver large munitions at a distance.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
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That inconsequential punishment provides little deterrence for either serial or opportunistic poachers.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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