BAFFLED Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

baffled 1 of 2

adjective

ˈba-fəld

Definition of baffled

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

baffled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of baffle

as in frustrated

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

as in puzzled

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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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

Adjective

What baffled Russell was the difference in straight-line speed. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 21 July 2026 The cat’s baffled loss takes center stage while the human mourner remains on the sidelines. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Verb

Apple's stubborn insistence on keeping base iPhones at 60Hz while budget Android phones offer zippier refresh rates has always baffled me. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026 On September 8, 2026, OpenAI announced that an artificial intelligence model may have solved one of the most significant problems in the field, the infamous Navier-Stokes problem, which had baffled countless mathematicians for decades. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for baffled

Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffled

Adjective

Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
College football fans were a little perplexed as to why the flag wasn’t thrown.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of perplexed

Verb

That the Houthis are able to score hits from 500 miles away, despite the Saudi military spending tens of billions of dollars on multi-layered air defense systems, has puzzled experts.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
He was puzzled when, after 2021, the number of children going into foster care dropped, but the state's costs for child welfare were rising.

— Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of puzzled

Verb

Creating lightweight device Neuroscientists studying behavioral brain activity have long been hampered by tethered equipment that kept laboratory animals locked in place.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
That uncertainty leaves the Chargers trying to get anything out of an offense hampered by the limitations of what's available to them right now in what increasingly looks like a lost season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of hampered

Adjective

By the time Lee’s moved on to thanking his dad for not believing him, thereby giving him something to prove, an embarrassed Frances is making a quick run for the exit.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Dallas got thoroughly embarrassed at home by a winless Buccaneers squad, surrendering 241 rushing yards and making an 0-4 offense look explosive.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of embarrassed

Browse Nearby Words

baffle

baffled

bafflegab

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Style

“Baffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffled. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of baffled

adjective

verb

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