Bamboozled

To be thoroughly deceived or tricked; to be confused or bewildered. This often involves the clever use of misleading information or a deceptive scheme to take advantage of someone's trust or lack of understanding. Bamboozlement often leads to a feeling of being cheated or made a fool of, with a sense of the event's absurdity. It emphasizes the skillful or cunning nature of the deception and the victim's subsequent state of confusion and manipulation. It implies a degree of complexity to the trickery involved, differentiating it from simpler forms of deceit.

Bamboozled meaning with examples

• The con artist, with his polished lies and convincing persona, skillfully bamboozled the elderly woman out of her life savings, leaving her bewildered and heartbroken. She hadn't realized she had been tricked until the final paperwork was signed, and she was left penniless.
• The magician's illusions, filled with sleight of hand and misdirection, bamboozled the entire audience. Their gasps of amazement mingled with a growing sense of being delightfully fooled as they watched the impossible become real, only to discover the trickery after.
• After investing heavily in the cryptocurrency, Sarah quickly learned that the hyped token was a scam and quickly bamboozled her and so many others into buying it and it quickly collapsed. She felt angry and incredibly foolish for not doing more research before handing over so much money.
• The political campaign's barrage of misleading advertisements and carefully crafted soundbites was designed to bamboozle voters, leading them to support a policy that directly contradicted their interests. They knew that people did not have enough time to think clearly and they hoped this strategy would lead to votes.
• John, always trusting, was completely bamboozled by his friend's complex story about needing to borrow money, so John gave him the money. He found out later that his friend was playing a joke and never needed the money.