Dictionary    Maps    Thesaurus    Translate    Advanced >   


Tip: Click Thesaurus above for synonyms. Also, follow synonym links within the dictionary to find definitions from other sources.

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)
baffling
    adj 1: making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve
           or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty
           problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic
           situation at home" [syn: baffling, elusive, knotty,
           problematic, problematical, tough]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Baffle \Baf"fle\ (b[a^]f"f'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baffled
   (-f'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Baffling (-fl[i^]ng).] [Cf.
   Lowland Scotch bauchle to treat contemptuously, bauch
   tasteless, abashed, jaded, Icel. b[=a]gr uneasy, poor, or
   b[=a]gr, n., struggle, b[ae]gja to push, treat harshly, OF.
   beffler, beffer, to mock, deceive, dial. G. b[aum]ppe mouth,
   beffen to bark, chide.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To cause to undergo a disgraceful punishment, as a
      recreant knight. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            He by the heels him hung upon a tree,
            And baffled so, that all which passed by
            The picture of his punishment might see. --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To check by shifts and turns; to elude; to foil.
      [1913 Webster]

            The art that baffles time's tyrannic claim.
                                                  --Cowper.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To check by perplexing; to disconcert, frustrate, or
      defeat; to thwart. "A baffled purpose." --De Quincey.
      [1913 Webster]

            A suitable scripture ready to repel and baffle them
            all.                                  --South.
      [1913 Webster]

            Calculations so difficult as to have baffled, until
            within a . . . recent period, the most enlightened
            nations.                              --Prescott.
      [1913 Webster]

            The mere intricacy of a question should not baffle
            us.                                   --Locke.
      [1913 Webster]

   Baffling wind (Naut.), one that frequently shifts from one
      point to another.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: To balk; thwart; foil; frustrate; defeat.
        [1913 Webster]

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Baffling \Baf"fling\ (b[a^]f"fl[i^]ng), a.
   Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as, baffling
   currents, winds, tasks. -- Baff"ling*ly, adv. --
   Baff"ling*ness, n.
   [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for baffling:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
bewildering, bothering, confounding, confusing, defeating, discomposing, disconcerting, dismaying, distracting, disturbing, embarrassing, enigmatic, frustrating, intricate, mysterious, mystifying, perplexing, perturbing, problematic, puzzling, upsetting
Common Misspellings >
Most Popular Searches: Define Misanthrope, Define Pulchritudinous, Define Happy, Define Veracity, Define Cornucopia, Define Almuerzo, Define Atresic, Define URL, Definitions Of Words, Definition Of Get Up, Definition Of Quid Pro Quo, Definition Of Irreconcilable Differences, Definition Of Word, Synonyms of Repetitive, Synonym Dictionary, Synonym Antonyms. See our main index and map index for more details.

©2011-2024 ZebraWords.com - Define Yourself - The Search for Meanings and Meaning Means I Mean. All content subject to terms and conditions as set out here. Contact Us, peruse our Privacy Policy