as in baffled
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
the convoluted instructions for calibrating a high-definition television will leave many consumers utterly perplexed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complicated
to make complex or difficult
let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the question perplexed me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perplexed
Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
This will mainly result in perplexed parents receiving costly traffic citations.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
Many historians have been perplexed by how such a seemingly simple man as Shakespeare could have written works of such grandeur and depth.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexed
Adjective
One strange phenomenon that has perplexed mathematicians for decades is that, even when friction is minimal, that steady train of gently rolling waves still eventually falls apart and becomes irregular.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
This will mainly result in perplexed parents receiving costly traffic citations.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
For nearly 20 years, astronomers have been perplexed by the strange disk of dust and debris circling Fomalhaut, a bright star just 25 light-years from Earth.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
Many historians have been perplexed by how such a seemingly simple man as Shakespeare could have written works of such grandeur and depth.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexed
Adjective
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Looking aghast, Kylie couldn’t help but go silent with a baffled expression for several seconds.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Thousands of commenters responded with laughter, surprise, and sympathy for the dog’s baffled expression.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nonetheless, the book has complicated historians' efforts to understand the truth of what really happened during this pivotal moment in the history of science.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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This has given the conflict a religious coloration, and political elites have also chosen to politicize the conflict to negotiate power and other interests, which has complicated the problem.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Her mysterious symptoms puzzled doctors, at least one of whom suggested the pain was psychosomatic.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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Some younger viewers may have been initially puzzled by the mashup, but fans of a certain age, or of a certain show-tune leaning, got it from the very first bar, or might have even dared to anticipate it when Erivo and Grande sat down on stools, side by side.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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Instead, a bewildered stranger answers the door.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Franco Panizo,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Farmers’ Almanac will be gone for good after its final 2026 edition, not to be confused with The Old Farmer's Almanac, a separate publication.—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
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Blue Origin also launches New Shepard from Texas The New Glenn spacecraft is not to be confused with Blue Origin's much smaller New Shepard rocket that the company launches from West Texas on brief trips taking paying passengers high above Earth's atmosphere.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Gretchen, however, seems nonplussed.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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Wole looked nonplussed but said goodbye to those around him.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perplexed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexed. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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