BLINDSIDED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

blindsided 1 of 2

adjective

as in surprised

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Dissimilar Words

blindsided

2 of 2

verb

past tense of blindside

as in bewildered

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blindsided

Adjective

When David flees before the FBI can arrest him, Teagan and her mother, Ella (Jessica Paré), are blindsided, and are forced to leave their affluent Los Angeles community for Ella’s hometown, Eagle’s Cove, a fictional town in Massachusetts. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 Still, Ballas and Higgins agree that there’s no bad blood with any of their costars, including Rausch — who won the season and blindsided Higgins with his reveal as a Traitor in the finale. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2026 Rich suggested the backlash stemmed less from Jelly Roll’s beliefs than from fans feeling blindsided by them. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026 The challenge now is not to allow complexity and financial innovation to leave policymakers blindsided. — Joao Gomes, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Many claimed the decision was unexpected and left several members of the royal family, including King Charles and Prince William, blindsided. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 25 Aug. 2026 Though the reason for Marte’s initial absence remains unknown publicly — the Diamondbacks were so blindsided by it that he was scratched only minutes before Monday’s game — the team seemed eager to move on from the fiasco. — Marc Carig, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Separately, the Club exited its position in Honeywell Aerospace following a horrendous quarter Wednesday that left Jim feeling blindsided. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 The source at Darkroom/Interscope, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the label was blindsided. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blindsided

Adjective

Aviation experts were surprised that the plane did not crash after a descent so extreme that most of the rudder was ripped off the tail.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
Many visitors are surprised that such massive monuments representing two entirely different world religions were built just a short distance apart.

— Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of surprised

Verb

Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Dan emerges as Primetime’s unlikely heart, bewildered by the dark world he’s wandered into and left to negotiate his ambitions with the high stakes of the job.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of bewildered

Verb

One of the first chatbots, Eliza, built at MIT in the mid-1960s, ran a therapy script called DOCTOR that asked users questions about their feelings and experiences—and left its creator disconcerted about his technology’s strong emotional pull.

— Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Still, the boy was disconcerted during his first sessions in early June, said his mother, Tricia LaBrasca.

— Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Definition of disconcerted

Adjective

As Bijan Robinson raced down the sideline and the rest of his Falcons teammates sprinted in pursuit, a mixture of an eerie hush and a stunned buzz fell over Caesars Superdome from a crowd still not entirely settled in its seats.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026
The record closed out the 13-song set, which ended in a staggering high note from Spiro and a standing ovation from a stunned ACL audience.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of stunned

Verb

Byrd and DeSantis each noted the many election law changes Florida has instituted since the infamous 2000 presidential election recount — where Palm Beach County’s butterfly ballots befuddled many voters in a razor-thin race.

— Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Those are decreasing in frequency, and the situation has befuddled the USTA.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of befuddled

Verb

However, some conservatives who were dismayed by the message stood by Hilton’s side.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
But after sending notice to the government, Friedman was dismayed to learn that prosecutors had now considered Thompson to be a co-conspirator.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismayed

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“Blindsided.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blindsided. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of blindsided

adjective

verb

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