flummox
Throw for loop
To flummox is to bewilder or confuse someone so thoroughly they don't know how to respond: The question completely flummoxed him.
The word suggests being thrown off balance, left speechless or unable to proceed.
Flummoxed captures that state of bewildered paralysis: I was flummoxed by the instructions.
Cause utter confusion
- baffleConfuse or perplex
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- confoundTo thoroughly puzzle
- mystifyConfuse beyond understanding
befuddle · nonplus · stump · discombobulate · bemuse · confuse · disorient · addle
State of being baffled
- perplexityMental state of confusion
- puzzlementState of being baffled
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- befuddlementState of utter confusion
discombobulation · mystification · bafflement · disorientation · stupefaction · quandary · uncertainty · muddle
perplex
Cause utter confusion
mystify · befuddle · nonplus · stump · discombobulate · bemuse · confuse · disorient · addle · muddle
bewilderment
State of being baffled
- perplexityMental state of confusion
- puzzlementState of being baffled
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
befuddlement · discombobulation · mystification · bafflement · disorientation · stupefaction · quandary · uncertainty · muddle · fog
consternation
Anxious amazement causing paralysis
- alarmUrgent warning signal
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
- disheartenCause to lose hope
unnerve · shake · disturb · trouble · agitate · perturb · disquiet · unsettle · daunt · intimidate
- confusionconfusion, confused, bewilderment, perplexity, baffled
- stunstun, daze, shock, stupefy, stagger