flummoxed

[fluhm-uhkst]

adjective

1. Informal.,  utterly bewildered, confused, or puzzled.

   When I walk into a store to buy video equipment and see the multitude of options, I’m befuddled and flummoxed.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of flummox.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flummoxed¹

First recorded in 1835–40; flummox ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) flummoxed for def. 1, and flummox ( def. ) + -ed ¹ flummoxed for def. 2

Example Sentences

Miss Mortimer stammered, flummoxed, for this was not the sort of reply one would expect from a Swanburne girl.

Read more on Literature

Penelope lowered the lid and looked around, flummoxed.

Read more on Literature

Penelope was flummoxed; to her the situation had seemed quite straightforward, until now.

Read more on Literature

They flummoxed the Dodgers’ pitching staff with their resilient, contact-first offensive attack that appeared to come out of another era.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the GOP’s lack of strategy and success makes it clear the party is as flummoxed on this issue as they’ve always been, and they know it’s a loser for them.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• baffled 
• befuddled 
• bewildered 
• dazed 
• disorganized 
• distracted 
• muddled 
• perplexed 
• perturbed 
• puzzled www.thesaurus.com