be·fud·dle

(bĭ-fŭd′l)

tr.v. be·fud·dled, be·fud·dling, be·fud·dles

1. To cause (someone) to be unable to think clearly; confuse:

2. To stupefy with alcohol; intoxicate.

Synonyms: befuddle, addle, discombobulate, fuddle, muddle
These verbs mean to cause to be unclear in mind or intent: a difficult question that befuddled the authorities; problems that addle my brain; was discombobulated by all of the choices; a complex plot line that fuddled my comprehension; a student who was muddled by endless facts and figures.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

befuddled

(bɪˈfʌdəld)

adj

1. confused, muddled, perplexed

2. stupefied with drink

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	befuddled - stupefied by alcoholic drink; "the wino's poor befuddled mind"; "a mind befogged with drink" befogged confused - mentally confused; unable to think with clarity or act intelligently; "the flood of questions left her bewildered and confused"
	2.	befuddled - perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment; "obviously bemused by his questions"; "bewildered and confused"; "a cloudy and confounded philosopher"; "just a mixed-up kid"; "she felt lost on the first day of school" bewildered, confounded, confused, at sea, baffled, mazed, mixed-up, bemused, lost perplexed - full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment; "perplexed language"; "perplexed state of the world"
	3.	befuddled - confused and vague; used especially of thinking; "muddleheaded ideas"; "your addled little brain"; "woolly thinking"; "woolly-headed ideas" muddled, woolly-headed, wooly-minded, addled, wooly, muzzy, woolly confused - mentally confused; unable to think with clarity or act intelligently; "the flood of questions left her bewildered and confused"

befuddled

adjective confused, upset, puzzled, baffled, at sea, bewildered, muddled, dazed, perplexed, taken aback, intoxicated, disorientated, disorganized, muzzy (U.S. informal), groggy (informal), flummoxed, woozy (informal), at sixes and sevens, fuddled, inebriated, thrown off balance, discombobulated (informal, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), not with it (informal), not knowing if you are coming or going I was befuddled with drink.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

dronken in de war perplex stomverbaasd verdoofd

befuddled

[bɪˈfʌdld] ADJ (= confused) → aturdido
befuddled with drink → atontado por la bebida

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

befuddled

[bɪˈfʌd^əld] adj
to be befuddled [person] → avoir les idées brouillées

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

befuddled

[bɪˈfʌdld] adj → confuso/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The gigantic futility of humanity organized and befuddled by the bandits did not shock him.

View in context

But it was the multiplicity of laws that befuddled White Fang and often brought him into disgrace.

View in context

So befuddled and chaotic were their minds that the utterance of a single word could negative the generalizations of a lifetime of serious research and thought.

View in context

Summary: Delay in filling up state ministerial posts has left the party's rank and filed befuddled

Telangana to likely remain without cabinet for some time

I am completely befuddled as to the continual letters to the Daily Herald from supposed readers that support the building of the wall at the southern border and are generally supportive of Trump's immigration policies.

What about health issues and the border crisis?

Politicians have again got us well and truly befuddled - but not befuddled enough to miss that this whole sorry mess is by design, rather than by accident.

Texts

It was most definitely a case of being bewitched and befuddled rather than one of C'est La Vie when I heard they were appearing on the Throwback Stage line-up at Electric Picnic.

B*wildered by throwback

Summary: New Delhi [India], Apr 10 (ANI): There is always a TV show that just hit you in a way that you left you feeling befuddled and enraptured.

Do you remember the first TV show that just got you..?

Though US central bankers admitted to being befuddled by the absence of inflation last year despite the economic recovery and strong job market, they now see signs of rising price pressures.

US Fed widely seen increasing rates

Still, the 35-year-old Mexican warrior was befuddled with the way Pacquiao dominated him in their two sparring sessions this week at Wild Card Gym.

Sparring partner amazed by Pacquiao's intensity

Though a little strange, this efficient, irreverent sitcom is encased in familiar TV tropes: It's a fish-out-of-water story about a befuddled, old-school dad, and a modest but well-executed workplace sitcom.

Son of Zorn