baffled
So confused that you cannot understand something at all.
baffled in a sentence
- The riddle left the whole class baffled; nobody could work out the answer.
- The scientists were baffled by the strange lights in the sky and could not explain them at all.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to baffled?
- Acertain
- Bconfused
- Cclear
- Dsure
Show the answer
B: confused. The other three mean the opposite of baffled.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to baffled?
- Astumped
- Bpuzzled
- Cconfused
- Dcertain
Show the answer
D: certain. The other three mean nearly the same as baffled.
Words that mean something similar
confused, puzzled, stumped
Words that mean the opposite
certain, sure, clear
Careful: baffled is not bemused
Baffled is completely stumped. Bemused is puzzled and unsure, and it has nothing to do with amused. Read why children mix them up.
More words about thinking & learning
- bewildered: Very confused and unsure what is happening.
- blunder: A silly, careless mistake.
- clarify: To make something easier to understand.
- classify: To sort things into groups that are alike.
- competent: Able to do something well enough.
- complex: Made of many parts, and hard to understand or work out.
- comprehend: To fully understand something.
- concoct: To make something by mixing things, or to invent a story or plan.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test