as in baffling
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in complicating
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 puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the question perplexed me
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perplexing
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
The famed Altar Stone is far more perplexing, however.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Ara H. Merjian,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Even more than the finished show, this eerie, perplexing multi-Gaga spectacle feels like a glimpse into her subconscious.
—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Adjective
Despite the thriving community Sacramento FrontRunners is building, the group has not yet managed to overcome one perplexing problem — building membership among women.
—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
The famed Altar Stone is far more perplexing, however.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Verb
The disjunction between the abstract composition and the notion of self-portraiture appeared perplexing in its own right; its inoperability only exacerbated the viewer’s frustration and redoubled the artist’s impish provocation.
—
Ara H. Merjian,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Even more than the finished show, this eerie, perplexing multi-Gaga spectacle feels like a glimpse into her subconscious.
—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexing
Adjective
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Would Huston be proud that this baffling story continues to find new audiences during the World Cup?
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Astronomers may have finally cracked one of the most baffling mysteries about the Milky Way after decades of research.
Verb
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But the extreme conditions are undoubtedly a complicating factor.
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But the relentless focus on development — and data centers and artificial intelligence in particular — are complicating things for Shapiro, who is seeking a second term as governor in 2026 and is frequently mentioned as a presidential candidate in 2028.
Verb
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The 24 hours between Sunday and Monday made an already puzzling situation even more head spinning.
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Police are investigating after puzzling footage posted online shows a group of men emerging from a manhole in Brooklyn early Friday morning.
Adjective
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Messaging about what’s in the air has been confusing.
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If the experience feels confusing or unreliable, employees may under-contribute or disengage altogether.
Verb
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The moms aren’t embarrassing their kids.
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Several other policy changes led to blowback from the public and Starmer was forced to make a series of embarrassing U-turns that provided political capital for opponents and fed beliefs that the prime minister didn’t stand for much.
Verb
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Similarly, the defensively bewildering 9-6 loss the Wild suffered to start Round 2 in Colorado set the tone for five games that would ultimately be their undoing.
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But even more than engaging the big ideas that Emma’s revelation triggers — pun somewhat intended — Lee and Borli wanted to craft an experience that would mimic its main characters’ bewildering interiority.
Adjective
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Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
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In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.
Adjective
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Bloody, disturbing, shocking, and entertaining as hell, the Ghost Ship opening couldn’t be any more different from the absolute slog that follows it, climaxing on a muddled and overly complicated ending.
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So the relationship of high rates for long-term CDs and low rates for short-term CDs remains muddled.
Cite this Entry
“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexing. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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