puzzled 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of puzzlednext
1
as in bewildered

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quizzical

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

puzzled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of puzzle
as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzled
  1. bewildered
  2. quizzical
  3. bemused
  4. wary
  5. surprised
  6. cautious
  7. confused
  8. paranoid
Adjective
  • The clip received more than 3,900 shares and 4.1 million views on X. In the footage a young girl dressed in pink walks along the chilled aisle of a superstore, throwing products as bewildered customers look on.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
  • In May, police officers in the town of Lufkin, Texas responded to a bewildered call about a pair of kangaroos that were on the loose.
    Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2024
Definition of bewildered
Adjective
  • Noting the quizzical looks, Williams-Paisley pats the swan.
    Eileen Finan, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Thornton fixed his eyes to the wall behind June’s head with a comical, quizzical look.
    Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Definition of quizzical
Adjective
  • The Beatles themselves can only offer bemused waves and baffled chuckles.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Russian drone operators noticed the cyclist leading a BMP infantry fighting vehicle—and posted a recording of their drone feed online, along with their bemused commentary.
    David Axe, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of bemused
Adjective
  • Because generative AI was used to create the phishing message itself, the email had no misspellings, the grammar was perfectly acceptable and, coming from the director’s genuine email account, left no obvious reason why the recipient would be wary of authenticity.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Among other suggestions, prosecutors say, victims should be wary of people who try to move conversations to encrypted instant messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Signal and others.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Definition of wary
Adjective
  • But don’t be surprised if his next chapter includes skyrocketing to another stratosphere of super stardom, both figuratively and literally.
    Jon Youshaei, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Lemon, who caught at least six passes in four of USC’s last eight games, wasn’t surprised to see Robinson and Hudson in the portal.
    Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of surprised
Adjective
  • By recommending a cautious approach, Decentralized Masters enabled its members to make informed decisions in a volatile market.
    Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Until now, federal banking regulators have tried hard to keep crypto confined to its own world by encouraging banks to take a cautious approach in dealing with crypto businesses and discouraging them from holding any crypto assets on their balance sheets.
    John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of cautious
Verb
  • However, the Madea star said his science teacher then asked him about dissecting the animal, which confused a young Perry.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Meanwhile, the state’s agriculture department, which had been routinely testing Raw Farm milk products kept getting negative results — leaving infectious disease experts confused.
    Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • Corcoran is under the paranoid delusion that prison guards are torturing him with sound waves.
    Kristine Phillips, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Kevin McCormick and Chrystal Li will oversee Panic Carefully for Warner Bros. The movie is described as a paranoid thriller reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs and Esmail’s Emmy-winning series Mr. Robot.
    Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of paranoid
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near puzzled

puzzle

puzzled

puzzled (out)

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Puzzled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzled. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on puzzled

Nglish: Translation of puzzled for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of puzzled for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...