baffled
Americanadjective
-
bewildered or perplexed; puzzled.
I went to bed shaking my head, completely baffled and amazed at the strange turn the day had taken.
-
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.
-
thwarted.
“Every anarchist is a baffled dictator,” wrote Mussolini.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of baffled
Explanation
When you're baffled, you're confused or perplexed. Being baffled is being befuddled, bewildered, confounded, or mixed up. If you're baffled, you can't understand something. Some people are baffled by math; others are baffled by things celebrities do. Some are baffled at why anyone would care what celebrities do. Sometimes when you're baffled, you genuinely can't figure something out, and other times, you just disapprove. For example, a teacher could say, "I'm baffled that you missed the test!" As long as the world is full of odd things, we'll all spend part of our lives baffled.
Vocabulary lists containing baffled
Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels
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A Long Way Gone
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Those words might have drowned out the vociferous objections of Banka, who in October sounded baffled when he dismissed the Enhanced Games as a “ridiculous idea.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
For seven decades, the Eurovision Song Contest -- which gathers performers from across Europe and further afield, selected by each country's public broadcasting service -- has delighted and, at times, baffled spectators.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
For a brief moment, it’s a sweet, cozy scenario, even though their friends are baffled by the new connection.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
A flurry of powerful attacks had internet experts baffled.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
He shakes his head like he’s baffled to find himself here.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
