befuddle

The absurdist’s power rests in their ability to befuddle and bewilder, trusting the joke will land with the right folks and insult their target’s intelligence.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

Today’s pitchers befuddle hitters with velocity and spin rate while exiting before 100 pitches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Intricate pre-plotted plays befuddle defences with a blizzard of runners, while they shift the ball with a cardsharp's speed and dexterity.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025

Even in the sunlight, the shadows and glare can befuddle landing cameras and sensors.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 8, 2024

“It won’t befuddle you any more than any other drink.”

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

But the decision to allow Parias to leave the scene, while still handcuffed, befuddles her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

Stagflation is the bitterest of economic pills: High inflation mixes with a weak job market to cause a toxic brew that punishes consumers and befuddles economists.

From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022

He has constructed a glossy fever dream that bewitches as much as it befuddles.

From Salon ● May 20, 2022

“The reason the ‘Latino vote’ befuddles is because it doesn’t exist, nor do ‘Latino issues,’” Isvett Verde, an opinion editor at The New York Times, wrote in an election postmortem.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 5, 2020

Grape-growers are not in the fog that befuddles growers of tree-fruits in regard to tillage.

From Manual of American Grape-Growing by U. P. Hedrick

"I feel like whoever it is, they are five sreps ahead of us," noted a befuddled Leigh-Anne.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

An investor employing cold logic like a Vulcan in “Star Trek” would be befuddled by what he is currently seeing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

“There’s a beetle that emerges on the cusp of summer. It has lots of colors. Blue, gold, purple. It looks like a turtle,” she tells a befuddled Rhaenyra.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Bryan Cranston transitioned from befuddled dad Hal to lethal drug lord Walter White in “Breaking Bad.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

She examined the photographs on the cover, the young Kenyan woman staring befuddled at the camera, arms enclosing her son, and the young American man, jaunty of manner, holding his daughter to his chest.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The film — where Jessie Buckley plays three characters, each with their own frenzied personality — may be tonally imbalanced and, at times, utterly befuddling.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026

Many of the most befuddling stocks reviewed by Barron’s are holding companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands with investors or subsidiaries that are also Caribbean holding companies.

From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025

What’s a bit befuddling is how “All Her Fault” introduces major elements of its characters’ backstories far later than seems fair on the part of the storytellers, or judicious on the part of the parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025

"Zhao's ban has been served and he is perfectly entitled to be competing again, but I've found the flowery language since his return somewhat befuddling given the circumstances," said snooker journalist Nick Metcalfe.

From BBC ● May 3, 2025

He cocked his head, tapping his lower lip as though he found the concept absolutely befuddling.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros