Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Baffling |
BafflingAdjective1. Making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "baffling" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references) |
Synonyms: BafflingSynonyms: knotty (adj), problematic (adj), problematical (adj). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Baffling |
| English words defined with "baffling": defy ♦ horse latitude, Horse latitudes ♦ knotty ♦ mystifier ♦ poser, problematic, problematical, protean, puzzle, puzzler ♦ Quade ♦ refuse, resist ♦ sticker, stumper ♦ toughie. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "baffling": machination ♦ Triboelectrostatic separation process. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Baffling Bluffs of Hugo a Go-Go (1967) Baffling Bunnies (1955) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Music |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The Norman Film M'F'G Co. presents "the crimson skull" Baffling western mystery photoplay / / Ritchey Lith. Corp. N.Y. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | The master mentalist, Newmann the man who knows and his marvelous show of wonders : including the science baffling Simla seance. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
William Hazlitt | The are of will-making chiefly consists in baffling the importunity of expectation. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | The President has told you that it is his wish, as I am sure it is yours, that I should have full liberty to give my true and faithful counsel in these anxious and baffling times. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | MACHINATION, n. The method employed by one's opponents in baffling one's open and honorable efforts to do the right thing. So plain the advantages of machination It constitutes a moral obligation, And honest wolves who think upon't with loathing Feel bound to don the sheep's deceptive clothing. So prospers still the diplomatic art, And Satan bows, with hand upon his heart. R.S.K. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Baffling" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 91.30% of the time. "Baffling" is used about 92 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 91.3% | 84 | 36,109 |
| Lexical Verb (-ing form) | 8.7% | 8 | 124,375 |
| Total | 100.00% | 92 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "baffling": baffling problem ♦ Baffling wind ♦ baffling winds. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "baffling": often-baffling. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
baffling | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "baffling"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | hutues (blinding, perplexing), enigmatik (astral, cabalistic, cabbalistic, enigmatic, inscrutable, mystic), çoroditës (vexing). (various references) | |
Arabic | مذهل (amazing, astonishing, astounding, bewildering, confusing, dumbfounding, prodigious, spectacular, staggering, startling, stunning, stupendous), مدهش (agape, amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, dandy, dumbfounding, marvellous, marvelous, out of this world, phenomenal, prodigious, ripping, staggering, startling, striking, stunning, surprising, topping, trembling, wonder, wonderful, wondrous), الحيرة. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | неразрешим (indeterminable, inextricable, insoluble, insolvable, irresolvable, unsolvable), загадъчен (apocalyptic, cryptic, delphian, delphic, enigmatic, inscrutable, mysterious, mystic, oracular), променлив (changeable, choppy, erratic, fitful, fluctuating, fluent, inconsistent, inconstant, liquid, mobile, protean, shifting, undecided, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, variant, varied, versatile, volatile). (various references) | |
Chinese | 莫名其妙 (mysterious, odd, unaccountable), 难' (Baffled, floored). (various references) | |
Czech | záhadný (cryptic, enigmatic, inexplicable, mysterious, occult, unknown), nepochopitelný (inapprehensive, incomprehensible). (various references) | |
French | pose de chicanes, déroutant, défiant. (various references) | |
German | verwirrend (bemusing, bewildering, cluttering, cockamamie, confusing, deranging, disarranging, discombobulating, disheveling, disorienting, distractedly, distracting, disturbing, dizzying, flustering, involved, muddling, perplexing, puzzling, snarly, unsettling). (various references) | |
Greek | που σε σαστίζει, που σε φέρνει σε αμηχανία. (various references) | |
Hebrew | מביך (confusing, embarrassing, perplexing, vexing). (various references) | |
Hungarian | zavarba ejtő (bewildering, confusing, mind-bending), elképesztő (astonishing, astounding, phenomenal, rousing, startling, stupefying, stupendous). (various references) | |
Indonesian | mengagumkan (amaze, amazing, astonish, astonishing). (various references) | |
Italian | sconcertante (abashing, bewildering, disconcerting, puzzling, uncanny). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 不可解 (incomprehensible, inexplicable, mystery). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ふかかい (incomprehensible, inexplicable, mystery). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | afflingbay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | variável (changeable, choppy, desultory, mutable, uncertain, unequable, unequal, variable, variant, various, versatile), que ilude, instável (ambulatory, astatic, bumpy, changeable, erratic, fickle, kid-glove, labile, lubricous, mobile, mutable, off-balance, slippery, slippy, temperamental, ticklish, tippy, tottering, unreliable, unsound, unstable, unsteady, variable, wayward, wonky), desorientador, desconcertante, desnorteante, desconcertante (disappointing). (various references) | |
Romanian | derutant (misleading), dejucare (defeat, discomfiture, frustration). (various references) | |
Russian | сбивать с толку...трудный, трудный (arduous, difficult, formidable, hard, labored, laborious, laboured, man-sized, narrow, painful, toilful, toilsome, trying, unmanageable), неблагоприятный (adverse, contrary, disadvantageous, inauspicious, inimical, none to bright, none too bright, sinister, unauspicious, unfavorable, unfavourable, unfriendly, unpropitious, untoward, worst case, worst-case), затруднительный (awkward, difficult, embarrassing, nonplussed). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | zbunjujući (bewildering, distracting, perplexing). (various references) | |
Spanish | desfavorable (adverse, hostile, unfavorable, unfavourable, unpropitious), desconcertante (embarrassing, shaking), confundiendo. (various references) | |
Swedish | förvirrande (mazy). (various references) | |
Turkish | zor (arduous, constraint, crucial, cruel, difficult, exacting, force, formidable, hairy, hard, inconvenient, knotty, main, mean, might, rough, sticky, stiff, strain, tight, trickish, uneasy), kararsız (ambivalent, astatic, changeable, changeful, double-minded, doubtful, dubious, erratic, faltering, fickle, flighty, fluctuating, flukey, fluky, fluxional, halting, hazy, hesitant, inconsistent, inconstant, indecisive, infirm, infirm of purpose, irresolute, precarious, restless, shilly shally, uncertain, uncommitted, undecided, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, vacillating, vagabond, vague, wayward, weak-kneed), güç (ability, arduous, arm, capability, capacity, clout, clutch, clutches, command, control, difficult, dominance, energy, force, forcefulness, hard, intensity, iron, might, pep, pith, potency, potential, power, punch, rod, sinew, spirit, stamina, steam, sting, strength, stuffing, sword, tone, tricksy, vigor, vigour, vim, vis, vitality, zing), durmadan değişen (kaleidoscopical), şaşırtıcı (amazing, astonishing, astounding, bewildering, colossal, confused, confusing, dazzling, incredible, intriguing, mind-bending, perplexing, puzzling, rum, spectacular, staggering, startling, striking, surprising, twisty), aldatıcı (beguiling, catchy, colorable, colored, coloured, deceptive, delusive, devious, dishonest, double dealing, elusory, fake, fallacious, googly, hype, illusive, illusory, indirect, specious, treacherous, trickish, tricksy, tricky). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | скрутний (awkward, difficult, embarrassing, narrow, necessitous, onerous, spiny), тяжкий (arduous, capital, chargeable, cumbersome, difficult, uphill), важкий (arduous, awkward, chargeable, complex, difficult, hard, heavy, heavyweight, laborious, leaden, muggy, near, opulent, ponderous, robust, sweaty, toilful, toilsome, trying, wall eyed, walloping, weighty), несприятливий (adverse, bad, contrary, cross, impervious, inauspicious, non-contributory, unfavorable, unfavourable, unfriendly, untoward), незбагненний (bottomless, fathomless, inapprehensible, incomprehensible, mysterious, unapproachable, unknowable, unsearchable), загадковий (enigmatic, enigmatical, oracular, oraculous, problematic, problematical), бентежний (affecting, discouraging, embarrassing, puzzling). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "baffling": bafflingly. (additional references) | |
| |
"Baffling" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: barflying. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "baffling" (pronounced ba"fuling or ba"fling) |
| 5 | -f u l i ng | reshuffling, ruffling. |
| 4 | -u l i ng | ambling, assembling, babbling, backpedaling, barreling, battling, belittling, bicycling, boggling, bottling, bristling, bubbling, bugling, bumbling, bundling, bungling, bustling, cackling, canceling, cancelling, channeling, chortling, circling, coddling, commingling, counseling, cradling, crippling, crumbling, cycling, dabbling, dangling, dazzling, Dialing, disabling, disgruntling, dismantling, doubling, dribbling, drizzling, dwindling, embezzling, empaneling, enabling, encircling, entitling, equaling, fizzling, fondling, fumbling, funneling, gambling, giggling, gobbling, groveling, grueling, grumbling, gurgling, guzzling, haggling, hassling, hobbling, huddling, humbling, hurdling, hustling, idling, imperiling, initialing, intermingling, jiggling, jostling, juggling, labeling, leveling, mangling, marshaling, meddling, middling, mingling, mislabeling, modeling, mottling, muddling, mumbling, muscling, nibbling, paddling, paneling, parceling, pedaling, peddling, piddling, pummeling, puzzling, quadrupling, quarreling, quibbling, raveling, recycling, redoubling, refueling, remodeling, resembling, reveling, rippling, rivaling, rumbling, saddling, scrambling, scribbling, scuttling, settling, shriveling, shuttling, signaling, signalling, singling, sizzling, spiraling, spiralling, squabbling, stapling, stenciling, strangling, struggling, stumbling, swiveling, tabling, throttling, tingling, tinkling, toppling, totaling, totalling, toweling, traveling, travelling, trembling, tripling, troubling, tumbling, tunneling, twinkling, unraveling, unsettling, waggling, warbling, wiggling, wobbling, wrangling, wrinkling, yodeling. |
| 3 | -l i ng | annealing, appalling, appealing, ailing, angling, assailing, bailing, baling, balling, bankrolling, beguiling, Belling, billing, blackmailing, boiling, Bolling, bowling, brawling, broiling, buckling, burgling, burling, cajoling, calling, Carling, ceiling, chilling, chronicling, chuckling, compelling, compiling, concealing, consoling, controlling, cooling, corralling, countervailing, coupling, cowling, crackling, crawling, cuddling, culling, curling, curtailing, darling, dawdling, dealing, decoupling, derailing, detailing, dispelling, dissembling, distilling, doling, drilling, drooling, duckling, dueling, dulling, dumpling, dwelling, earthling, emailing, enrolling, entailing, entangling, excelling, expelling, extolling, failing, falling, feeling, felling, fiddling, filing, filling, flailing, fledgling, foaling, foiling, fooling, forestalling, foretelling, fouling, foundling, freewheeling, fueling, fuelling, fulfilling, galling, grappling, Grayling, grilling, groundling, growling, hailing, handling, hauling, healing, heckling, helling, hilling, holing, howling, hurling, hurtling, inhaling, inkling, installing, instilling, jailing, Keeling, killing, kindling, kneeling, lolling, Lulling, mailing, Marling, Melling, milling, mishandling, misspelling, mothballing, mulling, nailing, needling, nestling, nonruling, oiling, outselling, overbilling, overhauling, overkilling, overruling, overselling, panhandling, paralleling, parboiling, paroling, patrolling, pearling, peeling, pickling, piling, Pilling, Pindling, poling, polling, pooling, prevailing, profiling, propelling, prowling, pulling, quelling, quilling, Quisling, railing, rambling, rankling, rappelling, rattling, rebelling, recalling, reconciling, reeling, regaling, rekindling, repealing, repelling, rescheduling, reselling, retailing, retelling, retooling, revealing, ridiculing, Riesling, rifling, rilling, roiling, rolling, rototilling, ruling, rustling, sailing, sampling, Sandling, sapling, scaling, scheduling, Schilling, schooling, scowling, sealing, seedling, Seeling, selling, shelling, shilling, shoveling, shuffling, sibling, skilling, smelling, smiling, smuggling, snarling, Snelling, snowballing, sparkling, Sparling, spelling, spilling, spoiling, sprawling, sprinkling, squealing, stalling, starling, startling, stealing, sterling, stifling, stockpiling, stonewalling, storytelling, straddling, strickling, stripling, strolling, styling, suckling, surveilling, swashbuckling, swelling, swilling, swindling, swirling, tackling, tailing, tangling, telling, thrilling, Tilling, toddling, toggling, toiling, tolling, tooling, trailing, trampling, trickling, trifling, trilling, trolling, twiddling, twirling, unappealing, unavailing, unbundling, underling, underselling, unfailing, unfeeling, unfurling, unsmiling, untangling, unveiling, unwilling, veiling, waffling, wailing, walling, weakling, welling, whaling, wheeling, whirling, whistling, whittling, wholesaling, wiling, willing, wrestling, yearling, yelling. |
| 4 | -f l i ng | rifling, shuffling, stifling, trifling, waffling. |
| 3 | -l i ng | annealing, appalling, appealing, ailing, ambling, angling, assailing, assembling, babbling, backpedaling, bailing, baling, balling, bankrolling, barreling, battling, beguiling, belittling, Belling, bicycling, billing, blackmailing, boggling, boiling, Bolling, bottling, bowling, brawling, bristling, broiling, bubbling, buckling, bugling, bumbling, bundling, bungling, burgling, burling, bustling, cackling, cajoling, calling, canceling, cancelling, Carling, ceiling, channeling, chilling, chortling, chronicling, chuckling, circling, coddling, commingling, compelling, compiling, concealing, consoling, controlling, cooling, corralling, counseling, countervailing, coupling, cowling, crackling, cradling, crawling, crippling, crumbling, cuddling, culling, curling, curtailing, cycling, dabbling, dangling, darling, dawdling, dazzling, dealing, decoupling, derailing, detailing, Dialing, disabling, disgruntling, dismantling, dispelling, dissembling, distilling, doling, doubling, dribbling, drilling, drizzling, drooling, duckling, dueling, dulling, dumpling, dwelling, dwindling, earthling, emailing, embezzling, empaneling, enabling, encircling, enrolling, entailing, entangling, entitling, equaling, excelling, expelling, extolling, failing, falling, feeling, felling, fiddling, filing, filling, fizzling, flailing, fledgling, foaling, foiling, fondling, fooling, forestalling, foretelling, fouling, foundling, freewheeling, fueling, fuelling, fulfilling, fumbling, funneling, galling, gambling, giggling, gobbling, grappling, Grayling, grilling, groundling, groveling, growling, grueling, grumbling, gurgling, guzzling, haggling, hailing, handling, hassling, hauling, healing, heckling, helling, hilling, hobbling, holing, howling, huddling, humbling, hurdling, hurling, hurtling, hustling, idling, imperiling, inhaling, initialing, inkling, installing, instilling, intermingling, jailing, jiggling, jostling, juggling, Keeling, killing, kindling, kneeling, labeling, leveling, lolling, Lulling, mailing, mangling, Marling, marshaling, meddling, Melling, middling, milling, mingling, mishandling, mislabeling, misspelling, modeling, mothballing, mottling, muddling, mulling, mumbling, muscling, nailing, needling, nestling, nibbling, nonruling, oiling, outselling, overbilling, overhauling, overkilling, overruling, overselling, paddling, paneling, panhandling, paralleling, parboiling, parceling, paroling, patrolling, pearling, pedaling, peddling, peeling, pickling, piddling, piling, Pilling, Pindling, poling, polling, pooling, prevailing, profiling, propelling, prowling, pulling, pummeling, puzzling, quadrupling, quarreling, quelling, quibbling, quilling, Quisling, railing, rambling, rankling, rappelling, rattling, raveling, rebelling, recalling, reconciling, recycling, redoubling, reeling, refueling, regaling, rekindling, remodeling, repealing, repelling, rescheduling, reselling, resembling, reshuffling, retailing, retelling, retooling, revealing, reveling, ridiculing, Riesling, rilling, rippling, rivaling, roiling, rolling, rototilling, ruffling, ruling, rumbling, rustling, saddling, sailing, sampling, Sandling, sapling, scaling, scheduling, Schilling, schooling, scowling, scrambling, scribbling, scuttling, sealing, seedling, Seeling, selling, settling, shelling, shilling, shoveling, shriveling, shuttling, sibling, signaling, signalling, singling, sizzling, skilling, smelling, smiling, smuggling, snarling, Snelling, snowballing, sparkling, Sparling, spelling, spilling, spiraling, spiralling, spoiling, sprawling, sprinkling, squabbling, squealing, stalling, stapling, starling, startling, stealing, stenciling, sterling, stockpiling, stonewalling, storytelling, straddling, strangling, strickling, stripling, strolling, struggling, stumbling, styling, suckling, surveilling, swashbuckling, swelling, swilling, swindling, swirling, swiveling, tabling, tackling, tailing, tangling, telling, thrilling, throttling, Tilling, tingling, tinkling, toddling, toggling, toiling, tolling, tooling, toppling, totaling, totalling, toweling, trailing, trampling, traveling, travelling, trembling, trickling, trilling, tripling, trolling, troubling, tumbling, tunneling, twiddling, twinkling, twirling, unappealing, unavailing, unbundling, underling, underselling, unfailing, unfeeling, unfurling, unraveling, unsettling, unsmiling, untangling, unveiling, unwilling, veiling, waggling, wailing, walling, warbling, weakling, welling, whaling, wheeling, whirling, whistling, whittling, wholesaling, wiggling, wiling, willing, wobbling, wrangling, wrestling, wrinkling, yearling, yelling, yodeling. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-f-f-g-i-l-n" | |
-1 letter: baffing, fabling. | |
-2 letters: baling. | |
-3 letters: algin, align, binal, blain, fagin, final, fling, gliff, liang, ligan, linga. | |
-4 letters: agin, alif, anil, baff, bail, bang, bani, biff, blin, fail, fain, fang, fila, flab, flag, flan, gaff, gain, glia, glib, lain, lang, ling, naif, nail. | |
-5 letters: aff, ail, ain, alb, ani, bag, bal, ban, big, bin, fag, fan. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-f-f-g-i-l-n" | |
+2 letters: bafflingly, buffaloing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Historic | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Usage Frequency 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Derivations 15. Rhymes 16. Anagrams | 17. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
