baffling
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
- bafflingly adverb
Explanation
If something is baffling, it's completely confusing or mysterious. You might find your friend's hatred for the taste of chocolate utterly baffling. A good mystery novel begins with a baffling crime — one that seems at first nearly impossible to solve. You might also find your math homework baffling or wander around the baffling snarl of streets in a city with no idea where you are. The earliest meaning of baffling was nautical, describing winds blowing in all directions. It comes from the verb baffle, which first meant "to disgrace" before it came to mean "to confuse."
Vocabulary lists containing baffling
This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Schooled
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Hand of Fatima" and "Old Ways, New World"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They have stumbled their way through the last nine years with cronyism, poor drafting, inexplicable trades and player contracts that are absolutely baffling.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
Manager Michael Carrick described the decisions as "baffling", confused that Attwell's decision did not match an earlier spot-kick given to his side for a pull by Alex Jimenez on Matheus Cunha.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
It was such a baffling overture that Xi suspected it was an impulsive gesture, said people close to Beijing’s decision-making.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Why an Oscar-winning screenwriter would make a film that makes so little attempt to dig into its central character is baffling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
It was utterly radical and, for many musicians and listeners at the time, baffling.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.