as in confusing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a car shopper thoroughly muddled by too much well-meaning advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
some mischievous brat had muddled the household accounts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddling
Verb
-
Protests keep disrupting life in Dhaka, the capital.—
Saif Hasnat Atul Loke,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024 -
Mass deportations and reductions in legal immigration could lead to significant labor shortages, disrupting productivity and economic stability.—
Solange Charas,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In almost no time Sophie and Laura had managed to untie one knot, only to find a tighter and far more perplexing one at its center.—
Hannah Gold,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
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This perplexing synergy triggers everything from mixed signals and missed messages to an overwhelming feeling that something’s just a bit… off.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
-
James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
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Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Experts warn that an afternoon or evening coffee could disrupt your circadian rhythm, disturbing your sleep.—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
7 Jan. 2025
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The Piano Teacher asks you (and teaches you) to stick with disturbing moments and unpleasant characters.—
Ilana Masad,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Since October, the Vance edits have only become sweatier, more surreal, more upsetting to behold.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Fonseca has been the talk of the tennis world, having won the Next Gen ATP Finals in December, upsetting Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open and earning his first tour-level title last month in Buenos Aires.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For the Congolese government, the ineffective Western responses follow a dismaying pattern.—
Michela Wrong,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Mar. 2025
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Americans, and a dismaying number of politicians, keep crying for a crackdown on crimes that aren’t happening.—
F.K. Plous,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s sense of his own royalty helps explain at least some of the bewildering changes of recent days.—
Bill McKibben,
The New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2025
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All of the above is being considered in isolation without the bewildering problems of domestic politics and foreign policy.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
6 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Muddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddling. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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