baffle
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To confuse or perplex completely.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bafuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbæfəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To confuse or perplex (someone) completely; to bewilder, to confound, to puzzle.
transitivetechnology
To dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control (a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound).
intransitive
To expend effort or struggle in vain.
To publicly disgrace (someone); specifically, a recreant knight.
transitivespecificallynautical
Of weather or wind: to hinder or prevent (a ship or its crew) from advancing.
noun
A barrier designed to obstruct and confuse enemies, rendering them vulnerable.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (technology) To dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control (a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound).
Used this way, baffle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- bewilder , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
People who are frustrated and perplexed.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A flat plate that controls or directs the flow of fluid or energy.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.