as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
seeing her perplexity, the teacher stepped in with a helpful hint
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Recent Examples of perplexity
This story is one of many that showcase the perplexities that encompass being a mother and a human raising other humans, which is not a small task.
—
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 10 Apr. 2025
Doing so nine days since the transfer portal opened on March 24 only adds to the perplexity.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2025
Sleep—which, when things go well, consumes a third of our lives—poses two opposed existential perplexities.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The performances, too, are more likenesses than full characterizations, which, admittedly, is wholly in keeping with the perplexities being dramatized.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for perplexity
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 10 Apr. 2025
Doing so nine days since the transfer portal opened on March 24 only adds to the perplexity.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2025
Sleep—which, when things go well, consumes a third of our lives—poses two opposed existential perplexities.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The performances, too, are more likenesses than full characterizations, which, admittedly, is wholly in keeping with the perplexities being dramatized.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for perplexity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexity
Noun
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The very concept of combining social media with AI assistants caused confusion earlier this year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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That confusion is further reflected by the manic hyper-subjectivity of Bronstein’s filmmaking, which boxes Linda into a close-up so tight that everything around her — especially her unnamed daughter, who almost never appears on screen — might as well be a disembodied echo of her own anxiety.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Oct. 2025
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Scientists in Austria and France have developed a new imaging method that can reveal objects hidden behind opaque materials such as sand, fog, or even human tissue, potentially opening new frontiers in medical diagnostics and sensing technologies.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perplexity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexity. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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