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
Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Making his lack of usage even more baffling, the Bills signed Cook on a four-year, $48 million contract extension before the start of the 2025 season.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
But there were strengths here, too, none more than England’s impervious Lazarus complex, that baffling inability to know when one is in a state of emergency.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baffling
Adjective
This is not just baffling but really inexcusable.
—Noun
That said, the good outweighs the baffling.
—Verb
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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffling
Adjective
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The movie is hilarious, fun, disturbing, perplexing, exuberant, exhausting.—
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The canon can already be described as a bewildering artistic menagerie, including a perplexing assessment of misandrism, body horror by Brian Yuzna, killer toys from the ’90s, and more.—
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.—
Verb
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Some people say puzzling offers more than simple entertainment.—
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But the decision to leave Robertson at home is a puzzling one that has enraged both Stars fans and hockey fans across the country.—
Adjective
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While airline miles are easier to earn than ever, using them well—and maximizing their value—can often feel confusing.—
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Choose decisive steps over a confusing kerfuffle!—
Noun
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British officials downplayed the pause as temporary, insisting momentum would resume amid complex negotiations, but the impasse signals broader frustrations with Europe’s regulatory posture toward American innovation, market access, and economic sovereignty.—
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Emotions were on full display with many expressing sadness and frustration, not only over Wednesday's federal raid, but raids happening around the Twin Cities over the last 40 days.—
Verb
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This left the country without a regular budget for next year and is hampering plans for long-overdue structural reforms and decisions on use of EU support funds.—
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Decades-old grids in the US are hampering new energy rollouts, and Spain’s huge blackout in April was blamed on an aged system unable to cope with power swings.—
Verb
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
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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.—
Adjective
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What is the most confounding and terrible, however, is Gretchen’s assertion that Slade, the anti-Viagra, doesn’t get involved with the women on his own accord, but only engages because the women always talk about him.—
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The offense’s struggles are the most confounding.—
Cite this Entry
“Baffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffling. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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