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
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complicated
to make complex or difficult
let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the question perplexed me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of perplexed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2024
There were the various teachers taking attendance at the top of class, pausing with palpable discomfort when landing on my foreign name, perplexed and unsure how to proceed.
—Mekita Rivas, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024
The footage shows perplexed night shift officers quickly realizing the gravity of the collapse in front of them as a Maryland Transportation Authority Police officer explains the basics: A cargo ship lost power and hit the bridge and a construction crew was missing.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2024
While Eaton thrived in Tokyo, Huston looked perplexed, struggling to seventh.
—Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for perplexed 
Adjective
Everyone else on the show is cheerfully hamming it up—Dakota Fanning harnessing elite levels of (spoiled) brat as another daughter-in-law, Eve Hewson modeling perplexed everywoman accessibility as the bride—and amid the liveliness, Kidman’s performance feels markedly out of place.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2024
There were the various teachers taking attendance at the top of class, pausing with palpable discomfort when landing on my foreign name, perplexed and unsure how to proceed.
—Mekita Rivas, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024
The footage shows perplexed night shift officers quickly realizing the gravity of the collapse in front of them as a Maryland Transportation Authority Police officer explains the basics: A cargo ship lost power and hit the bridge and a construction crew was missing.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2024
While Eaton thrived in Tokyo, Huston looked perplexed, struggling to seventh.
—Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for perplexed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perplexed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near perplexed
Cite this Entry
“Perplexed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexed. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
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