bafflement

plural bafflements

1. uncountableThe 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.

   My bafflement at being caught in this situation made it hard to come up with a way out.

   3 more examples

   "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

   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

   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

   Synonyms: baffle, bewilderment · Antonyms: clarity

2. countableSomething 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