Dictionary

bafflement en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbaf(ə)lmənt/ (UK)

Etymology

From baffle + -ment.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The result or state of being baffled, confused, or puzzled; a shocked feeling of perplexed bewilderment, caused by being utterly unable to understand something or to move on from one's incomprehension.
   • The error here is to confuse British composure with the appearance of bafflement, embarrassment and reserve. 2008, Chris Rojek, Brit-Myth: Who Do the British Think They Are?, Reaktion Books, →ISBN:
   • He has described himself as the uber-geek, an anorak's anorak, a standard bearer for fellow Star Trekkies everywhere, and his air of bland, amiable bafflement has served him remarkably well in a string of TV and film roles. 2007 February 15, Maev Kennedy, “I used to say he was England's answer to John Cusack. Now I think he's England's answer to Jack Lemmon”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025:
   • My bafflement at being caught in this situation made it hard to come up with a way out.
   • "Have you any theory about this occurrence to-night?" She watched him eagerly as she asked the question. He made a gesture of bafflement. "None whatever—it's beyond me," he confessed. 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter XII, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC:
2. (countable) Something that causes a state of confusion or puzzlement.
   • The cartoon characters on the front cover, the irritatingly meaningless track names . . . make it seem like a concept album about global warming for kids. Since the lyrics remain a bafflement, it might well be. 2005 December 16, Josh Tyrangiel, “Best of 2005: Music”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Sep 2006:

Forms

Antonyms

clarity

Relateds

baffling · baffled

Synonyms

baffle · bewilderment

Translations (4)

ru недоуме́ние (result or state of being baffled) · nl verbijstering (result or state of being baffled) · fi hämmennys (result or state of being baffled) · ru замеша́тельство (result or state of being baffled)