1
as in complicating
to make complex or difficult
let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the question perplexed me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in baffling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of perplexing
Leila Sloman, Wired News, 3 Aug. 2025
Republican leaders are aware, so ask yourself this perplexing question.
—Christopher Eric Bouchat, Baltimore Sun, 29 July 2025
In the future, scientists might be able to use octopuses as a model for studying the evolution of this perplexing sense.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2025
One of the most perplexing and detrimental aesthetic choices implemented here pertains to the emblematic animals in Dora’s purview.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Verb
To Boltzmann’s contemporaries, this was perplexing.
—Leila Sloman, Wired News, 3 Aug. 2025
Republican leaders are aware, so ask yourself this perplexing question.
—Christopher Eric Bouchat, Baltimore Sun, 29 July 2025
In the future, scientists might be able to use octopuses as a model for studying the evolution of this perplexing sense.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2025
One of the most perplexing and detrimental aesthetic choices implemented here pertains to the emblematic animals in Dora’s purview.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexing
Adjective
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And surely enough, the club’s focus soon turns away from their increasingly baffling cold case and onto a more pressing one.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
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This is undoubtedly one of the most baffling mysteries of all time, and there is a purist sense of absolute joy and satisfaction in solving it.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
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Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But the most frustrating point among them is the argument shared by several critics and a wider collection of the audience that the film doesn’t have a deeper meaning and is ultimately about nothing.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
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While transportation is necessary, jumping on a used car too soon without the proper research could prove to be a costly and frustrating mistake.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Hilarious Theories Go Viral The bewildering encounter quickly went viral, prompting fellow Redditors to offer their own humorous theories for the stranger's behavior.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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According to the researchers, these bewildering clouds are likely the remnants of much larger structures that puffed out of the galaxy's center several million years ago.—
Brandon Specktor,
Space.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Forecasters said the disorganized tropical wave is likely to pull together into a tropical depression near or just north of the easternmost Caribbean islands.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
20 Aug. 2025
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Here’s what forecasters are saying: System 1 A tropical wave over the central Atlantic is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.—
David Schutz,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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With no federal law protecting online information and just a patchwork of state privacy laws, many Americans are confused and concerned about how their online information is used, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
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The memo was welcome for taxpayers who were confused about limits resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made another tweak.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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These are often signs that the company is unorganized, unclear on its hiring process, or not fully aligned internally.—
Adunola Adeshola,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Bathrooms that appear messy or unorganized often have products in them that don't belong in a bathroom.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The cells have an ugly, disordered appearance under a microscope.—
Adam B. Kushner,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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In more severe cases, this ongoing pattern may erode a parent’s relationship with food, leading to emotional or disordered eating that feels increasingly difficult to name, let alone break.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Parents,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexing. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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