PUZZLING Synonyms: 214 Similar and Opposite Words

puzzling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of puzzling

as in inexplicable

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Dissimilar Words

as in perplexing

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Dissimilar Words

puzzling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of puzzle

as in baffling

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 puzzling

Adjective

Yet, those teams don't make Tyler Dragon's list of the four teams that had the most puzzling offseasons. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 July 2026 However, another round of lawsuits was somewhat puzzling. — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Verb

Just after send time yesterday morning, the Timberwolves made a puzzling splash by trading for Hornets star LaMelo Ball. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 26 June 2026 In 2015, scientists first described a tiny and puzzling species of hominin from an unusually rich cache of fossils found at a site known as Dinaledi Chamber within the cave system. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for puzzling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzling

Adjective

As the Liu family struggles to maintain the illusion of unity, Xiaoliu’s body begins to undergo an inexplicable transformation.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
Fans rightfully mocked the dancing cars mounted on robot arms that played during an inexplicable diversion on Universal Studios Hollywood’s Studio Tour.

— Robert Niles, Oc Register, 21 July 2026

Definition of inexplicable

Adjective

Despite a relatively long history of drive-through bans, the idea is still novel and perplexing to Californians who love their burgers and love their cars.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
For some, evoking death and sacrifice was perplexing and distasteful; a step too far.

— Harry Booth, Time, 17 July 2026

Definition of perplexing

Verb

Despite some protests about a dog contributing to the game, Buddy — clad in a bright blue jersey and two pairs of basketball kicks — scores baffling basket after baffling basket, leaving the other team shocked.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.

— Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026

Definition of baffling

Adjective

Wei and his colleagues have proposed a new physical path to the mysterious function.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026
Now, IndieWire can exclusively share the poster for the studio’s first new film since 2019, which features an eye-catching image of the main character Prue and the film’s mysterious main antagonist, Alexandra.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of mysterious

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 given the profundity of her subject matter and the near-universal awe her art inspires, perhaps this sense of futility gestures at the incomprehensible, even transcendent aura around Petviashvili’s works.

— The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 28 July 2026
Here are three stars that appear neatly connected overhead, but in reality, one is separated by an incomprehensible distance.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of incomprehensible

Adjective

Whatever ends up coming for Alpha, with their TV fragmented into a billion tiny screens, it’s bound to be bizarre.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
Former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader's San Francisco Giants season has ended prematurely due to a bizarre scooter accident.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of bizarre

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“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzling. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of puzzling

adjective

verb

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