befuddled
Americanadjective
-
confused or muddled.
They claim this is the prevailing economic theory, taught in the best schools, and that I am a hopelessly befuddled fool for questioning it.
-
puzzled or perplexed.
People often ask us—usually with a befuddled look on their face—"Why on earth are you doing this?"
-
stupidly drunk.
I don't think he's sobered up at all—in fact, he looks almost frighteningly befuddled and out of it.
verb
Etymology
Origin of befuddled
First recorded in 1830–40; befuddle + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; befuddle + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Explanation
When you're befuddled, you're bewildered, confused, lost, or mixed-up. In other words, you don't know what's going on. A befuddled person is so confused that they just can't understand or figure something out. Or they've had way too much to drink. A difficult math problem could leave you befuddled. If your teacher showed up in a gorilla suit one day, you'd probably be pretty befuddled. Things that are vague and perplexing can also be described as befuddled, like a speech that makes no sense.
Vocabulary lists containing befuddled
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 7
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Grade 9, List 5
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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.
Russell’s befuddled Jackson is as useless as a traffic cone but Blunt’s Margaret is a gas before the movie makes her go all glassy-eyed and solemn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
But the question of where Laufey sits in the pantheon of popular music has befuddled critics ever since.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
So with his season on the line on Sunday, McCollum drew up a diagonal full-court sprint that befuddled the Gators’ defense and ended with a wide-open 3-pointer for junior Alvaro Folgueiras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
One zoomer Republican operative in Washington was befuddled at how Butterworth’s had become such a destination: “A bunch of conservatives just decided it would be our place and I don’t understand why.”
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
He took in her words with a befuddled expression, his cup of coffee forgotten in his hand.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
