perplex

verb per·plex \ pər-ˈpleks \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

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Examples: perplex in a Sentence

Definition of perplex

transitive verb

1 : to make unable to grasp something clearly or to think logically and decisively about something

her attitude perplexes me

a perplexing problem

2 : to make intricate or involved : complicate

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Examples of perplex in a Sentence

Questions about the meaning of life have always perplexed humankind.
let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns

Recent Examples of perplex from the Web

This condition, called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, has been perplexing doctors for years.

— rafal tokarz, Health.com, "The Lyme Disease Complication You Don't Know About—But Should," 31 May 2018
Potter says the substantial change in Houston growth is perplexing.

— peggy o’hare, San Antonio Express-News, "City’s population growth largest in nation, census data shows," 23 May 2018
Once convened, the hearing lasted roughly 10 minutes; supporters and journalists streamed out of the courtroom looking perplexed by the surprise ruling.

— Time, "Hong Kong Democracy Activists Walk Free After a Court Upholds Their Appeal," 6 Feb. 2018
Trump was not under investigation, but his actions perplexed the agents.

— author: matt apuzzo, adam goldman, nicholas fandos, Anchorage Daily News, "A secret mission, a code name and anxiety: Inside the early days of the FBI’s Trump investigation," 2 Feb. 2018
His mother, Mahogany Foster is perplexed at why the teacher would say anything like that.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Kansas Teacher Tells Black 10-Year-Old Student That He Will Get Shot By Police When He Turns 16," 21 May 2018
The reaction perplexes Shell and other Republican lawmakers.

— adam beam, The Seattle Times, "In Kentucky, an early test of teachers’ new political power," 12 May 2018
In the 1970s, researchers were perplexed by the rapid, unexplained deaths of tree frogs and other amphibians in the cloud forests of Central America.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Solved: the mysterious origin of the world’s most devastating wildlife disease," 10 May 2018
The query seemed to leave Zuckerberg momentarily perplexed.

— clay chandler, Fortune, ""Only in America" (Are Lawmakers this Clueless about China)," 14 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perplex.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of perplex

obsolete perplex, adjective, involved, perplexed, from Latin perplexus, from per- thoroughly + plexus involved, from past participle of plectere to braid, twine — more at per-, ply

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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perplex Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of perplex

puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally. puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.