the action or process of bringing something into a disordered or confusing state

the muddling of fact and fiction is a tried-and-true tactic of totalitarian regimes

one of the points that he makes is that there was a muddling of the messages

the action or process of mixing a drink or stirring an ingredient into a drink

the muddling helps ensure that all the flavours are well blended

confusing

the map is a muddling haze, with place names in German, Russian, Polish, and Lithuanian

bring into a disordered or confusing state

I fear he may have muddled the message

mix (a drink) or stir (an ingredient) into a drink

muddle the kiwi slices with the sugar