as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a muddled arrangement of trophies in the display case
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in confused
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a car shopper thoroughly muddled by too much well-meaning advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddled
Gregg Evans, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The end result on those possessions is a muddled mess, which leads to bad shots or live ball turnovers, which lead to easy points going the other way.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
Known for its peppery, licorice-like notes, muddled tarragon lends an extra layer of botanical flavor to the famous French cocktail of gin, lemon juice, sweetener, and dry champagne or sparkling wine.
—Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026
There remain other, muddled storylines across this LIV timeline that won’t get untangled.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Warsh believes markets have driven those rates up in response to muddled policy from the Fed, including the recent spike in inflation after Covid — but going much further back, too.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
This switch-up to the formula makes new episodes of The Comeback compelling to watch, even as the season’s big-picture storytelling remains a bit muddled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Bose Soundbar Deal The Bose TV Soundbar is the ultimate cure for muddled cinematic dialogue.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Despite its muddled storylines, the tone, wit and characters give viewers several glimpses into Levy and Sennott’s quirky world.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
Especially among activists and academics, this explosion of identities has muddled Crenshaw’s neat system of greater and lesser disadvantage.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
But somewhere along the way the message of gratitude and goodwill got muddled.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Player recruitment was muddled, managerial appointments flawed (Remi Garde lasted 147 days in that relegation season) and the team underperformed.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Cross-functional collaboration that isn’t muddled in hierarchy speeds up innovation.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Together the flavor is muddled, slightly discordant, but alone the Irish whiskey gets to sing, its apples and pears and slight malt and gentle touch a perfect foil to the zesty front palate of the lemon and the deep finish of the almonds.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
Costco's has a terrific taste and aroma of basil, but is muddled by an excess of creamy dairy.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2026
But the strategy has been muddled and confused many players.
—Jason Schreier, Bloomberg, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The move was completed during a period of muddled thinking between Emery, who was desperate for attacking additions, and Monchi, Villa’s now former president of football operations, who left the club three weeks later.
—Gregg Evans, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The end result on those possessions is a muddled mess, which leads to bad shots or live ball turnovers, which lead to easy points going the other way.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
Known for its peppery, licorice-like notes, muddled tarragon lends an extra layer of botanical flavor to the famous French cocktail of gin, lemon juice, sweetener, and dry champagne or sparkling wine.
—Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026
There remain other, muddled storylines across this LIV timeline that won’t get untangled.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Warsh believes markets have driven those rates up in response to muddled policy from the Fed, including the recent spike in inflation after Covid — but going much further back, too.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
This switch-up to the formula makes new episodes of The Comeback compelling to watch, even as the season’s big-picture storytelling remains a bit muddled.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Bose Soundbar Deal The Bose TV Soundbar is the ultimate cure for muddled cinematic dialogue.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Despite its muddled storylines, the tone, wit and characters give viewers several glimpses into Levy and Sennott’s quirky world.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
That reasoning is muddled, but according to Kneecap, they weren’t supposed to find out about this letter.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
Especially among activists and academics, this explosion of identities has muddled Crenshaw’s neat system of greater and lesser disadvantage.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
But somewhere along the way the message of gratitude and goodwill got muddled.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Player recruitment was muddled, managerial appointments flawed (Remi Garde lasted 147 days in that relegation season) and the team underperformed.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Cross-functional collaboration that isn’t muddled in hierarchy speeds up innovation.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Together the flavor is muddled, slightly discordant, but alone the Irish whiskey gets to sing, its apples and pears and slight malt and gentle touch a perfect foil to the zesty front palate of the lemon and the deep finish of the almonds.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
Costco's has a terrific taste and aroma of basil, but is muddled by an excess of creamy dairy.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2026
But the strategy has been muddled and confused many players.
—Jason Schreier, Bloomberg, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddled
Adjective
-
But even chips are absent from the formal agenda because the politics are too messy.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
-
Just to make things even messier and more over-plotted, Sylvie notices a light on for five days straight in an upper-floor apartment, reporting to the cops her concern that the old man who lives there might have died.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The company is not to be confused with the music-publishing company of the same name, founded in 2017, the assets of which were recently acquired by Sony Music.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Cassidy also complained that a new primary system enacted last year confused voters by requiring them to ask for a partisan ballot instead of the all-party primary previously in place.—
Thomas Beaumont,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The shopping area’s management said the takeovers disrupted operations and negatively impacted businesses.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
-
Iranian drone attacks on data centers disrupted Amazon Web Services in the region and stuck Amazon with months of repairs while forcing another data center developer to pause Middle East projects.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Summa’s 1982 snapshot of a stage diver at a Circle Jerks concert in Reseda is among the best examples of punk’s live and chaotic energy.—
Siran Babayan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Instead, Tuesday‘s finale is shaping up to be one of the state’s most chaotic primary elections in decades.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
They are baffled by filmmakers who do not think more aggressively about sustainability, ownership, and business models around their work.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
-
Such an unconventional approach baffled plenty of people, including the show’s musical composer Marvin Hamlisch, who at the time was in high demand in the film industry and halfway to becoming an EGOT.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Shielded by her team, Cardi B shuffled out to the street, a blob of black nylon.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Women in America’s boardrooms made strides as corporations shuffled their mostly White and male lineups in the face of the historic pushback in 2020.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Chaotic terrain is characterized by fractured, jumbled blocks of rock thought to have formed when underground ice melted and caused the surface above to collapse.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
-
Tidy Food Storage Containers The same can be said for the food storage containers that can easily become a jumbled mess in the cabinet.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Three cases were reported earlier this week, long after the typical growing season for the mushrooms behind the illnesses, leaving public health officials and mycologists puzzled about why the poisonings have been so widespread and what is causing the trend.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
But China has spent more than a year building strategic stockpiles, a move that puzzled many observers at the time and has now paid off.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddled. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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