perplexed

adjective

per·​plexed pər-ˈplekst 

1

: filled with uncertainty : puzzled

2

: full of difficulty

perplexedly

pər-ˈplek-səd-lē  -ˈplekst-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of perplexed

• baffled
• bewildered
• embarrassed
• nonplussed

Examples of perplexed in a Sentence

He gave her a perplexed look.

The explanation left me thoroughly perplexed.

Recent Examples on the Web

The deal ends years of lawsuits and a bitter separation that perplexed and irritated customers who frequented both complexes during their shopping excursion. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025

Rihanna, who has a perplexed facial expression in the photo, rocked voluminous red curly hair and a smokey eye glam during the performance. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025

All of a sudden, a different car pulls over, leaving Buku looking perplexed. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2025

Hull seemed perplexed by this as an alarming number of season-ending injuries continued to pile up, sidelining five of her own Indiana Fever teammates before their unexpected—and frankly remarkable—playoff run. —Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for perplexed

• ciphertext
• hypertext
• multiplexed
• teletext
• complexed
• deflexed
• plaintext
• pretext
• reflexed
• subtext
• flexed
• next