befuddle

[ bih-fuhd-l ]

/ bɪˈfʌd l /

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See synonyms for: befuddle / befuddled / befuddles / befuddling 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR befuddle

1 perplex, bewilder, baffle, daze, muddle.

See synonyms for befuddle on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of befuddle

First recorded in 1885–90; be- + fuddle

OTHER WORDS FROM befuddle

be·fud·dler, nounbe·fud·dle·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use befuddle in a sentence

Flashing a smug grin while throwing up your collective shoulders in blithe befuddlement should convince absolutely no one.
It’s Time to Rip the Money Out of the NCAA|Robert Silverman|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The angsty, hazy mind of a teenager is a source of constant befuddlement and dismay for full-grown observers.
Who Invented the ‘Teenager’?|Nina Strochlic|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

This state of affairs is a source of befuddlement to Walmart executives.
Sad Face at Walmart|Daniel Gross|May 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She had only added to his befuddlement and he bent forward, soliciting some more lucid statement of her position.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
In the lecture room he often lost the thread of his thought, remained long pained minutes in speechless befuddlement.
Caybigan|James Hopper
The befuddlement of Antoine and the waiter who assisted him added to the general joy.
Lady Larkspur|Meredith Nicholson
That was all Emma needed to reduce her to absolute befuddlement.
The Purple Heights|Marie Conway Oemler
But their befuddlement was only a tithe of that which struck Cleigh an hour later.
The Pagan Madonna|Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for befuddle

befuddle

/ (bɪˈfʌdəl) /

verb (tr)

to confuse, muddle, or perplex

to make stupid with drink

Derived forms of befuddle

befuddlement, 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

befuddle

OTHER WORDS FOR befuddle

Origin of befuddle

OTHER WORDS FROM befuddle

Words related to befuddle

How to use befuddle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for befuddle

Derived forms of befuddle