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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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of baffling
Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2025
Back in 2009, Najib thought, for some baffling reason, that Malaysia needed another state investment scheme on top of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the real sovereign wealth fund.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Most baffling to many were the firings of hundreds whose jobs were not funded by taxpayers.
—Christina Jewett, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
In a tournament where one point would have literally made the difference, the lack of three-on-three (where Dahlin usually thrives) was a baffling decision.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Adjective
Starting five is settling in One of the most baffling aspects of the Celtics’ six-week swoon was how poorly their preferred starting lineup was performing.
—Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2025
Back in 2009, Najib thought, for some baffling reason, that Malaysia needed another state investment scheme on top of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the real sovereign wealth fund.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Most baffling to many were the firings of hundreds whose jobs were not funded by taxpayers.
—Christina Jewett, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
In a tournament where one point would have literally made the difference, the lack of three-on-three (where Dahlin usually thrives) was a baffling decision.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffling
Adjective
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In almost no time Sophie and Laura had managed to untie one knot, only to find a tighter and far more perplexing one at its center.—
Hannah Gold,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
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This perplexing synergy triggers everything from mixed signals and missed messages to an overwhelming feeling that something’s just a bit… off.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
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Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Many end users have voiced their frustration with the difficulty of opening the new packages and the risks associated with using sharp tools.—
Bill Schiffmiller,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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Trump was willing to give detente a shot but underwent a 180-degree turn after the first sign of frustration.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Rubio repeated the Trump administration's stance that the minerals deal would link the economies of the U.S. and Ukraine, which would prove an effective deterrence to Russia.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
1 Mar. 2025
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More important, the notion of having U.S. mining operations on or near the border between the Ukraine and Russia, especially the bord is with its occupied Ukrainian territory, to serve as a deterrence to future military action is hardly going to appeal to most private companies.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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What’s especially frustrating to people involved in ferret conservation is that funding and staff resources were already limited heading into 2025.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
26 Feb. 2025
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Most welcomed this move, even if the timing was frustrating.—
Louis Staples,
Rolling Stone,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Chess champion Magnus Carlsen pulled off a sartorial checkmate after returning to a recent tournament despite wearing an article of clothing banned by its dress code: jeans.—
Danielle Jennings,
People.com,
30 Dec. 2024
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When the Los Angeles Lakers assigned Danny Green to defend Porziņģis in a 2019 matchup, the man in charge of the Dallas Mavericks’ advanced analytics, Bob Voulgaris, recognized his team staring at a likely checkmate.—
Jay King,
The Athletic,
10 Apr. 2024
Adjective
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Trump’s sense of his own royalty helps explain at least some of the bewildering changes of recent days.—
Bill McKibben,
The New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2025
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All of the above is being considered in isolation without the bewildering problems of domestic politics and foreign policy.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Emily Keeney Dated or disorganized houses become functional, fresh homes in the hands of Drift Interiors + Architecture.—
Elizabeth Stamp,
Architectural Digest,
10 Feb. 2025
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To mix metaphors as badly as this doc overcomplicates Combs’ case by tackling the topic too early and from too many angles, this research is so disorganized that the story resembles something akin to deranged lobbyists throwing spaghetti at the wall through a shotgun.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffling. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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