befuddle

[bih-fuhd-l]

See more synonyms for befuddle on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), be·fud·dled, be·fud·dling.

to confuse, as with glib statements or arguments: politicians befuddling the public with campaign promises.
to make stupidly drunk.

Origin of befuddle

First recorded in 1885–90; be- + fuddle

Related formsbe·fud·dler, nounbe·fud·dle·ment, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for befuddle on Thesaurus.com

1. perplex, bewilder, baffle, daze, muddle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for befuddlement

Contemporary Examples

One former Media Research Center employee reacted to the news with a deep sense of befuddlement, “I thought everyone knew it.”
Ex-Employees of Conservative Figure L. Brent Bozell Say He Didn’t Write His Books or Columns
Ben Jacobs
February 13, 2014
Still, I have heard more than a few people, of all races, shrug in some kind of befuddlement about what they are expected to feel.
South Africa Kicks Off Week Of Mourning Mandela
Mark Gevisser
December 9, 2013
This state of affairs is a source of befuddlement to Walmart executives.
Sad Face at Walmart
Daniel Gross
May 16, 2013

Historical Examples

But their befuddlement was only a tithe of that which struck Cleigh an hour later.
The Pagan Madonna
Harold MacGrath
The befuddlement of Antoine and the waiter who assisted him added to the general joy.
Lady Larkspur
Meredith Nicholson
She had only added to his befuddlement and he bent forward, soliciting some more lucid statement of her position.
A Hoosier Chronicle
Meredith Nicholson

British Dictionary definitions for befuddlement

befuddle

verb (tr)

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

Derived Formsbefuddlement, noun

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

Word Origin and History for befuddlement

befuddle

v.

"confuse," 1873, from be- + fuddle; originally "to confuse with strong drink or opium" (by 1832). An earlier word in the same sense was begunk (1725). Related: Befuddled; befuddling.

befuddle

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}befuddle

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for befuddlement

Contemporary Examples

One former Media Research Center employee reacted to the news with a deep sense of befuddlement, “I thought everyone knew it.”

Still, I have heard more than a few people, of all races, shrug in some kind of befuddlement about what they are expected to feel.

This state of affairs is a source of befuddlement to Walmart executives.

Historical Examples

But their befuddlement was only a tithe of that which struck Cleigh an hour later.

The befuddlement of Antoine and the waiter who assisted him added to the general joy.

She had only added to his befuddlement and he bent forward, soliciting some more lucid statement of her position.

befuddle

Word Origin and History for befuddlement

befuddle

v.

Origin of befuddle