Synonym Chooser

How does the verb perplex differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of perplex are bewilder, confound, distract, dumbfound, nonplus, and puzzle. While all these words mean "to baffle and disturb mentally," perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

In what contexts can bewilder take the place of perplex?

The words bewilder and perplex can be used in similar contexts, but bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

When can confound be used instead of perplex?

The synonyms confound and perplex are sometimes interchangeable, but confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

When is distract a more appropriate choice than perplex?

The meanings of distract and perplex largely overlap; however, distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

When would dumbfound be a good substitute for perplex?

While the synonyms dumbfound and perplex are close in meaning, dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

When is it sensible to use nonplus instead of perplex?

The words nonplus and perplex are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

Where would puzzle be a reasonable alternative to perplex?

Although the words puzzle and perplex have much in common, puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of perplex Brewers owner Bud Selig, who would later become MLB commissioner, was perplexed at how a team could win 13 straight in April and then lose 12 straight in May. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025 The criminal justice system In early April, a man failed to show up for his pretrial conference in Canyon County, perplexing his lawyer. Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2025 The revelation perplexed Wall Street traders, who had expected bullion to be exempt from duties. John Towfighi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025 Equally, local business leaders and economists have been perplexed by the fact that the tariffs have been calculated on the back of a trade deficit that was skewed by the export of gold – the deficit is now a surplus. Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for perplex
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplex
Verb
  • That dynamic, combined with the concentration of economic gains in AI and among the wealthy, risks deepening inequality, and complicates the Fed’s attempt to balance its inflation and employment mandates.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Deep Monitoring And Debugging AI agents operate in workflows with APIs, third-party data and multistep chains of logic—complicating the debugging and monitoring.
    Gaurav Aggarwal, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The designs were puckish and gender-bending, evoking both awe and repulsion—the sort of clothing that titillates lovers of conceptual fashion and bewilders the uninitiated.
    Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Cody Meissner, a pediatric professor at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine who has served on ACIP in the past—arguably the most qualified of Kennedy's new lineup—was bewildered at why the committee was rehashing the issue addressed years ago.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Another factor that may baffle outsiders is a reluctance to use air conditioners at home.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
  • This is stuttering, crashing and other issues, even on high-end hardware way above recommended specs, which is baffling some.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Good, because there is one Duck — Justin Herbert — who will happily embarrass them.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The team that embarrassed the Rams at SoFi Stadium in November.
    Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Maybe Aer Lingus got confused when refunding your ticket.
    Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
  • That would be Black Rabbit, not to be confused with another Netflix original drama, Black Doves.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Yet despite their popularity, pachycephalosaurs continue to puzzle paleontologists in part because fossils of these bipedal herbivores are rare, says Lindsay Zanno, a paleontologist at North Carolina State University.
    Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The move has puzzled many since ending the program would bar every company, including oil firms, from accessing federal subsidies for capturing carbon or producing hydrogen fuel.
    Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Perplex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplex. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.

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