baffled

[baf-uhld]

adjective

1. bewildered or perplexed; puzzled.

   I went to bed shaking my head, completely baffled and amazed at the strange turn the day had taken.

2. equipped with one or more baffles, or structures to obstruct the movement of fluids, sound, etc..

   Any spraying operations shall be done within a baffled or enclosed area of the solvent cleaning machine.

3. thwarted.

   “Every anarchist is a baffled dictator,” wrote Mussolini.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of anticipate.

Other Word Forms

• unbaffled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of baffled¹

baffle ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The S-shaped copper sculpture has baffled cryptography enthusiasts since its 1990 installation on the grounds of the CIA headquarters in Virginia, with three of its four messages deciphered so far.

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"If we have this conversation in five years I'd be baffled if there wasn't a consensus that these are the two best footballers we've ever had."

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But I can't express strongly enough how baffled some in government still are.

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At the same time, half of those diagnosed with lung cancer would never meet the strict screening criteria, and health professionals have been particularly baffled by the incidence rates among younger women who never smoked.

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But Williams said she "didn't like" the comments on Hampton and is "baffled" by Earps' decision to speak out publicly about their relationship.

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Related Words

• astonished 
• awed 
• befuddled 
• dazed 
• mystified www.thesaurus.com
• perplexed 
• puzzled www.thesaurus.com
• rattled www.thesaurus.com
• shocked www.thesaurus.com
• startled 
• stunned 
• surprised www.thesaurus.com