head-scratch·ing
ˈhed-ˌskra-chiŋ 
informal
: the act or activity of scratching one's head while pondering or puzzling over something difficult to understand
—used figuratively
Every year, around the middle of October, the finalists for the National Book Awards are announced to general bafflement. Specifically, it's the fiction shortlist that provokes head-scratching.—
Laura Miller
Laura MillerThis is, ahem, a very complex scientific process involving a great deal of head-scratching and thoughtful staring.—Tom Jordan
Tom Jordan
also
: confusion
informal
: difficult to understand : causing puzzlement or confusion
… the system can lead to head-scratching results …—Mark Bechtel
Mark Bechtel… we'll be revisiting some of the best, worst, and most head-scratching moments from our archives.—Doug Brod
Doug Brod
head-scratchingly
adverb
head-scratchingly poor decisions
Examples of head-scratching in a Sentence
Noun
poorly worded instructions that must have resulted in a lot of head-scratching
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
The fourth quarter of Sunday’s early-window games featured one head-scratching special teams play and a game in which two teams traded consecutive return scores in a span of 12 seconds.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
But even that only score was shrouded in a bit of head-scratching.
—Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-scratching
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Noun
His response was a head-scratching explanation, to say the least.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
The fourth quarter of Sunday’s early-window games featured one head-scratching special teams play and a game in which two teams traded consecutive return scores in a span of 12 seconds.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Because the Patriots would go on to score 42 consecutive points before a meaningless touchdown drive by the Panthers in the final minutes, Canales’ head-scratching call the play before Jones’ return has drawn scrutiny.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
But even that only score was shrouded in a bit of head-scratching.
—Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-scratching
Cite this Entry
“Head-scratching.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head-scratching. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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