Synonyms of perplexed

perplexed 1 of 2

adjective

pər-ˈplekst 

as in baffled

faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do

the convoluted instructions for calibrating a high-definition television will leave many consumers utterly perplexed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• baffled
• bewildered
• embarrassed
• nonplussed
• confused
• flustered
• at a loss
• put to it
• confounded
• hard put
• hard-pressed
• disconcerted
• fazed
• put out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undaunted
• composed
• unfazed
• untroubled

perplexed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of perplex

1

as in complicated

to make complex or difficult

let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns

Synonyms & Similar Words

• complicated
• embarrassed
• confused
• sophisticated
• intensified
• complexed
• entangled
• complexified
• elaborated
• expanded
• developed
• confounded
• muddled
• snarled
• mixed (up)
• magnified
• tangled
• messed (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simplified
• streamlined
• cut
• shortened
• abbreviated
• facilitated
• eased
• straightened (out)
• oversimplified
• unraveled
• disentangled
• untangled

2

as in puzzled

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty

the question perplexed me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• puzzled
• baffled
• confused
• bewildered
• mystified
• befuddled
• embarrassed
• stunned
• flummoxed
• vexed
• bemused
• confounded
• disoriented
• flustered
• disturbed
• discombobulated
• posed
• bothered
• rattled
• muddled
• bamboozled
• upset
• fuddled
• mazed
• muddied
• foxed
• addled
• buffaloed
• befogged
• got
• unsettled
• graveled
• stumped
• nonplussed
• beat
• disconcerted
• stuck
• mortified
• dismayed
• discomfited
• distressed
• agitated
• blew one's mind
• perturbed
• disquieted
• went to one's head
• abashed
• chagrined
• weirded out
• fazed
• discomforted
• deceived
• misled
• discountenanced
• discomposed
• unhinged
• deluded
• misguided
• fooled
• duped
• beguiled
• tricked
• strung along
• hoodwinked
• humbugged
• gulled
• snowed
• cozened
• hoaxed
• took in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfied
• assured
• informed
• reassured
• enlightened

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of perplexed

Adjective

Millie Bobby Brown says her American Stranger Things costars were very perplexed by her British meals. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026

There were few international visitors, an absence that has perplexed business owners who banked on hundreds of thousands of new faces to patronize their establishments. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Verb

The Wiener Kitchen diners weren’t the only Kansas Citians perplexed by this description. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

And Wednesday’s doubleheader — thanks to a Monday rainout that perplexed Counsell — certainly didn’t help the pitching staff. — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026