Bamboozled

/bæmˈbuːzəld/ adjective

Definition

Confused, tricked, or deceived; having been successfully misled or mystified by someone's deception or complicated explanations.

Etymology

Past tense and past participle of bamboozle, formed by adding the '-ed' suffix to the verb. This adjective form became common in the 1700s to describe people who had fallen victim to con artists, swindlers, or confusing arguments.

Kelly Says

When people say they're 'bamboozled,' they're admitting they've been outsmarted, but there's something fun and almost playful about the word—it's much gentler than saying 'I was lied to,' which is why we still use it today even though it's 300 years old.

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