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

During an interview with Joe Rogan last week, as my colleague Helen Lewis reported, Vance acted perplexed that people had been so offended when a UFC fighter, competing in a fight at the White House, called former First Lady Michelle Obama a man. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026

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

Verb

The Brazil midfielder has expressed a desire to join Arsenal, but Newcastle did not want to sell him this summer and have been perplexed by the lack of direct contact from the London club. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2026

Workers at Doherty Staffing Solutions were perplexed when strangers started calling the office in response to recruitment texts — texts the firm never sent. — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026