befuddle
Throw into confusion
To befuddle is to confuse or muddle someone's thinking, often through alcohol or overwhelming complexity.
A befuddled person struggles to think clearly: The technical jargon befuddled the jury.
He arrived home befuddled after too many drinks.
The word carries a slightly comic tone, suggesting confusion that's more hapless than serious.
Challenge testing ingenuity
- baffleConfuse or perplex
- perplexCause utter confusion
- mystifyConfuse beyond understanding
- bewilderCause utter confusion
flummox · stupefy · nonplus · confound · bamboozle · discombobulate · dumbfound · stump
Impaired by alcohol
- tipsyMildly intoxicated
- inebriatedIntoxicated by alcohol
- intoxicatedAffected by alcohol
- buzzedMildly intoxicated
groggy · woozy · addled · stupefied · foggy · hazy · bleary · dazed
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- floodedCovered with water
- overloadedBurdened past capacity
- bombardedAttacked with heavy fire
overburdened · bewildered · frazzled · flustered · rattled · thrown · overcome · engulfed
puzzle
Challenge testing ingenuity
bewilder · flummox · stupefy · nonplus · confound · bamboozle · discombobulate · dumbfound · stump · muddle
drunk
Impaired by alcohol
- tipsyMildly intoxicated
- inebriatedIntoxicated by alcohol
- intoxicatedAffected by alcohol
buzzed · groggy · woozy · addled · stupefied · foggy · hazy · bleary · dazed · dopey
swamped
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- floodedCovered with water
- overloadedBurdened past capacity
bombarded · overburdened · bewildered · frazzled · flustered · rattled · thrown · overcome · engulfed · deluged
- Whimsy Wordsgobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo jumbo, hogwash, balderdash
- mix-upsmix-up, mistake, error, confusion, mix
- stunstun, daze, shock, stupefy, stagger