Synonyms

befuddle

American

[bih-fuhd-l] / bɪˈfʌd l /

verb (used with object)

befuddled, befuddling

to confuse, as with glib statements or arguments.

politicians befuddling the public with campaign promises.

Synonyms:

muddle, daze, baffle, bewilder, perplex
to make stupidly drunk.

befuddle British

/ bɪˈfʌdəl /

verb

to confuse, muddle, or perplex
to make stupid with drink

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

befuddlement noun
befuddler noun

Etymology

Origin of befuddle

First recorded in 1885–90; be- + fuddle

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.

The exit unwound a transaction that befuddled shareholders and led to a steep selloff in Masimo shares.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet I feel like a befuddled novice, still grappling with the surprises.

From The Wall Street Journal

He wore a befuddled expression and sputtered at his bloodied nightshirt.

From Literature

Usually, Clara’s charmed men were befuddled more than anything else, and only with effort.

From Literature

It's also about the players he has confused and bewildered with his ill-fitting shape and the ideology he refuses to alter no matter how befuddled things become.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023