as in to perplex
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
an actor who's easily flummoxed by any changes in the script
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Recent Examples of flummox
No one is standing in front of her refrigerator, flummoxed as to where to put the milk.
—
Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
The viral program was developed by DeepMind in 2020 and helped solve a mystery that had flummoxed biologists for 50 years.
—Hayden Field, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
Kevin Willard switched to zone defense midway through the first half, flummoxing Colorado State and giving his team a chance to rally.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 Mar. 2025
Pimblett seems flummoxed that Poirier’s plan is to have one more fight before retiring.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flummox
Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
The viral program was developed by DeepMind in 2020 and helped solve a mystery that had flummoxed biologists for 50 years.
—Hayden Field, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
Kevin Willard switched to zone defense midway through the first half, flummoxing Colorado State and giving his team a chance to rally.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 Mar. 2025
Pimblett seems flummoxed that Poirier’s plan is to have one more fight before retiring.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flummox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummox
Verb
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Many observers were perplexed that an eighty-two-year-old man with virtually unlimited access to medical care—and about whose health there has been virtually unlimited conjecture—could have gone undiagnosed until the cancer threatened his life.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
22 May 2025
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Social-media users were undoubtedly perplexed by the bone discovery, leading to more than 860 comments on the Instagram video.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Verb
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They were bewildered for me, and so was all the other staff.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Small wonder many of the migrants are disoriented and bewildered.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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What’s more, the double-stitched seams and baffle box design keep lumps at bay.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2025
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The owner shared a video of the car veering left, a video that has Tesla examiner’s baffled.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Also, this word et cetera at the end of the sentence confused me.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Weir was confused by the man’s unusual conviction, though.—
Louise Erdrich,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
Verb
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But very puzzling storytelling choices as well that diminish many of these characters, making Joel and Ellie feel less realized as people and less nuanced as characters, giving Dina and Ellie such a weird cheery vibe (when Dina isn’t mothering Ellie) and so forth.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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In 1981, as otherwise healthy gay men started dying of unexpected cancers and infections, a government immunologist named Anthony Fauci pushed aside his other research to focus on the puzzling malady.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Cameron Lindsay, a former federal prison warden, was befuddled that Massey was locked in a first-floor cell of the facility, saying that his past warranted far more attention from corrections staff.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
29 May 2025
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Although you might be temporarily befuddled and overwhelmed, nothing will get in your way.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flummox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummox. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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