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to fuddle

to fuddle

1 9.4
To confuse someone and make them unable to think clearly
  • verb
  • /ˈfədəl/
translation icon : confundir
  • "Whatever the status of that, the line itself is a comic exercise in xenophobia, applauding his own racial acceptability, on roughly the same wavelength as his description of the British Council pamphlet about himself as 'propaganda put out to fuddle the wogs!'"

Examples

  • "Wetherall looked momentarily fuddled.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Not only was Boothroyd's mind dimmed, fuddled by time and unhappiness and, Pitt suspected, drink, but he had the powerful impression that he did not want to remember.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Oh, shucks, looks like I got the whole thing fuddled up.

  • Me: He was fuddled.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I think you got fuddled by the snark as I almost did, but go back and review the parent and grandparent posts...

    Blog text (28)
  • The complicated instructions fuddled me, and I didn't know what to do next.

  • After listening to the confusing lecture, the students felt fuddled and needed clarification.

  • The unexpected changes in the project left him fuddled, unable to make a decision.

Synonyms

to throw
vsto fuddle
321 7.8

To make someone feel confused or unsure

is about simple cognitive confusion rather than emotional unsettlement
to confuse
vsto fuddle
266 1.9

Make someone unable to think clearly or make something hard to understand

is the same core idea but stated in the key's tone
to baffle
vsto fuddle
65 5.3

To make someone very confused and unable to understand

focuses on causing unclear thinking rather than mystery
to stump
vsto fuddle
39 5.3

To make someone unable to answer a question

covers general inability to think clearly beyond unsolved questions
to perplex
vsto fuddle
35 6.3

To make someone confused and unable to understand

targets confusing a person to stop clear thinking
to muddle
vsto fuddle
33 4.8

Mix things up so they are unclear

affects a person's thinking state rather than mixing items
to bewilder
vsto fuddle
29 5.3

Make someone very confused and unable to think clearly

is similar but used more broadly for mild confusion too
to mystify
vsto fuddle
28 6.5

To make someone confused by making something seem mysterious

creates direct perplexity without making things mysterious
to confound
vsto fuddle
22 7.0

Make someone unable to think clearly

is the same confusion idea but less formal in tone
to disorient
vsto fuddle
22 5.2

To make a person feel confused about where they are or what to do

describes general mental confusion rather than spatial loss of direction
to befuddle
vsto fuddle
11 7.8

To make someone very confused so they cannot think clearly

is similar but can be less intense in effect
to flummox
vsto fuddle
7 8.6

To confuse someone so they do not know what to do or think

covers confusion generally without stressing total bewilderment
to discombobulate
vsto fuddle
  • Informal
6 9.9

To confuse someone so they cannot think clearly

expresses the same breakdown of thinking more neutrally
to fluster
vsto fuddle
3 5.5

To make someone nervous so they cannot think clearly

causes confusion without the extra nervous or agitated feeling
to bedevil
vsto fuddle
2 8.2

Cause ongoing trouble and confusion for people or things

is a direct act of causing immediate inability to think clearly
to fox
vsto fuddle
8.9

To confuse someone so they cannot think clearly

uses the same idea in a slightly more neutral way
to muzz
vsto fuddle
9.9

To make thoughts or words unclear, often from noise and tiredness

targets confusing a person broadly rather than only unclear speech

Antonyms

248 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

55 4.8

To give someone clear information to help them understand something

Compounds

fish fuddle
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tree from the Caribbean and Florida with curly winged seedpods used to poison fish

How Confused

to stupefy
9 7.9
to baffle
65 5.3
to perplex
35 6.3
to fuddle
1 9.4
to confuse
266 1.9
to puzzle
73 4.9

Surface Forms

fuddle infinitive
fuddled past
fuddled past participle
fuddling present participle
fuddles third person singular

Etymology

Fuddle is likely an old sound word, like the familiar word muddle, which means 'mix up'. So to fuddle someone is to 'mix up' their thoughts and make them confused.