flummox

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈflʌməks/ UK /ˈflʌməks/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to confuse or bewilder thoroughly

The riddle flummoxed even the cleverest students in the class.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to confuse or bewilder... confuse bewilder baffle perplex confound mystify stump

Opposites

enlighten clarify inform

Word family

Forms flummoxed

Derived forms flummoxedflummoxing

Etymology

Of obscure origin, attested from the 19th century, probably an English dialectal coinage of imitative or expressive character.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# flummox

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈflʌməks/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈflʌməks/

## Meanings
1. to confuse or bewilder thoroughly

## Examples
- The riddle flummoxed even the cleverest students in the class.

## Synonyms
- confuse
- bewilder
- baffle
- perplex
- confound
- mystify
- stump

## Antonyms
- enlighten
- clarify
- inform

## Derived Forms
- flummoxed
- flummoxing

## Etymology
Of obscure origin, attested from the 19th century, probably an English dialectal coinage of imitative or expressive character.

## AI Etymology
Flummox is traced as follows: Of obscure origin, attested from the 19th century, probably an English dialectal coinage of imitative or expressive character. The history is deliberately cautious: the proposed comparison is useful for orientation, but the wording leaves room for uncertainty rather than forcing a false certainty. In present use, it is used as a verb meaning "to confuse or bewilder thoroughly", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as flummoxed and flummoxing, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by confuse, bewilder, baffle, and perplex on one side and contrasts such as enlighten, clarify, and inform on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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