perplexing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of perplexingnext
as in baffling

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perplexing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of perplex
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of perplexing
Adjective
There’s something so beguiling about the obvious irony of the title, the perplexing insistence of the narrator, and the comic persistence of the ghost. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 Indy’s decision to prioritize Pierce over Pittman is perplexing. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Verb
That’s perplexing to Alvarez and Oakley, given that Cal State tuition is still relatively low, despite recent annual tuition hikes. — Cal Matters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexing
  1. baffling
  2. complicating
  3. puzzling
  4. confusing
  5. embarrassing
  6. bewildering
  7. confounding
  8. muddled
Adjective
  • Lee kept at him, and along the way, began to find Lifeson’s interview comments increasingly baffling.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Webb found her response baffling, as word of the attack had spread rapidly among staff and the footage was stored on the facility’s own security system.
    — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of baffling
Verb
  • Conventional versions can contain elastic bands, clasps, clips, foam and multiple synthetic textiles, complicating recycling and other end-of-life options.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Even so, Chinese firms still trail their American counterparts by more than 6-to-1 in capital raised from markets over the past two years, with Washington’s chip export curbs complicating the catch-up effort.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of complicating
Verb
  • In practice, puzzling choices by curators Klaus Biesenbach and Maike Steinkamp rendered the experiment fraught in places.
    — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The encyclical’s critique of military AI is similarly puzzling.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of puzzling
Adjective
  • Your husband’s abandonment was surely jarring, painful, and confusing.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Your husband’s abandonment was surely jarring, painful and confusing.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • Many of the voters of the other political parties have been lending him their support, partly in the hope of embarrassing Farage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Anthrax, Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were easy and often embarrassing examples, but the funky waka-waka guitar sound extended to Rage Against the Machine, Green Jellÿ, and Suicidal Tendencies (and their side project, Infectious Grooves).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • The threats are constantly evolving, layering upon themselves with bewildering speed.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But these casting decisions are bewildering, to say the least, and will certainly cost the film ticket sales and potential revenue.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of bewildering
Adjective
  • Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
  • 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.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of confounding
Adjective
  • But because decomposing food is a source of ammonia, the source of any emissions remains muddled, regulators said.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In the summer of 1991, a group of conspirators staged a muddled coup to overthrow then-USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, ultimately accelerating the shift from communism to capitalism.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of muddled

Browse Nearby Words

perplexes
perplexing
perplexities
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Cite this Entry

“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on perplexing

Nglish: Translation of perplexing for Spanish Speakers

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