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puzzling

adjective

puz·​zling ˈpə-zə-liŋ How to pronounce puzzling (audio)
ˈpəz-liŋ
: difficult to understand or solve
puzzling symptoms
puzzlingly adverb

Examples of puzzling in a Sentence

The directions are somewhat puzzling.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Meredith proposed that these puzzling and remarkable mistakes might even point to a multilingual workshop. Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 16 Nov. 2025 Here are five times what seemed like a harmless toy turned into a puzzling moment online. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025 The second flare is even more puzzling. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2025 Staffers spent the weekend trading calls and texts, trying to piece together who had been axed, who had been spared, and, most puzzling, why. Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puzzling

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of puzzling was circa 1659

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Cite this Entry

“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puzzling. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

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