Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To confuse; perplex. See Synonyms at confuse.
- v. To stupefy with or as if with alcoholic drink.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To stupefy or muddle with intoxicants; make stupidly drunk.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To becloud and confuse, as with liquor.
WordNet 3.0
- v. make stupid with alcohol
- v. be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
Examples
“He said the survey "raised the bar" for other surveys and challenged the polling industry not to "befuddle" politicians, voters and opinion-makers.”
“But he worries that they can be misused, misinterpreted and even befuddle someone who is truly inebriated.”
“Only in the first Brahms did the composer's characteristic nightmare of cross-rhythms befuddle the chorus.”
The Washington Post: Concert review: National Master Chorale at National Presbyterian Church
“Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I'd say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC.”
The Wall Street Journal: A Simple PC For Seniors Is Complicated By Its Flaws
“We're not truly looking for games that question, befuddle, teach, insult, mortify, provoke .... that is almost NEVER the underlying reason for an argument.”
“Years later, Branson learned the band thought they were being drugged to befuddle them.”
“In his 1920 novel, The Trial, Franz Kafka provided a dizzying look at the senseless complexity of a bureaucracy that seems to exist primarily to befuddle and punish its constituents.”
The Huffington Post: Lisa Madigan: Mortgage Companies: Playing Loosely With the Rules of Foreclosure
“Alongside the reliable, quietly impressive Umar Gul , during the recent series Junaid Khan emerged as a canny, reliable bowler with some Asif-like qualities, while Aizaz Cheema looks lively, and the extraordinary windmilling flail of arms resembling a cartoon fight that constitutes the bowling action of Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir continues to have the occasional capacity to befuddle the best.”
The Wall Street Journal: Pakistan Shows Resilience Amid Turmoil
“Most of us go through life overthinking hamburgers or pretty girls or bad people; the Marx Brothers eat them, kiss them and befuddle them.”
“She is not the woman to put my thoughts out of joint and the world out of gear, and so to befuddle and make me drunk with the beast that is in me, that I am ready to sacrifice truth, honesty, duty, and purpose for the sake of possession.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘befuddle’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Confusually
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baffle, farrago, confound, befuddle, daze, disorient, discombobulate, stupefy, perplex, mystify, bewilder, boggle and 134 more...
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Spelling Conundrum
mischievous, confidant, cinch, befuddle, assailant, alleviate, coax, surreptitious, myriad
dimã©lion such a silly-sounding word. but on that note, it DOES communicate the meaning aptly, in my opinion. Nov 16, 2008