1
as in inexplicable
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2
as in perplexing
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Dissimilar Words
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puzzling
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
One of the most puzzling elements of the murders is the recurring pentagram symbol left at each crime scene.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2026
But if not selling high on Herro was a mistake, the curious commitment to Andrew Wiggins stands just as puzzling.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puzzling
Adjective
While scientists have long understood the importance of this cloak, one aspect of its biology has remained deeply puzzling.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
One of the most puzzling elements of the murders is the recurring pentagram symbol left at each crime scene.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Like the puzzling drift in the apparent mission in 2023, when the Royals announced two finalist sites that included one in North Kansas City.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2026
But if not selling high on Herro was a mistake, the curious commitment to Andrew Wiggins stands just as puzzling.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puzzling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzling
Adjective
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Made even more inexplicable by his own background.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Perhaps the most inexplicable one was third-base coach and outfield and base-running instructor Kyle Hudson.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Our universe is full of mysteries, but few are as perplexing as the dark, tiny galaxies that hover around larger ones like the Milky Way.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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Perhaps the most perplexing part of the Nancy Guthrie investigation for the general public has been the lack of information.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
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This inversion explains a host of baffling political and cultural phenomena of late.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Circumstances vary case by case The string of mysterious deaths and disappearances began in 2023, lawmakers say, with the death of Michael David Hicks, a scientist who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nearly 25 years.—
Natasha Chen,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
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Created by Graham Yost based on Hugh Howey’s New York Times bestselling trilogy , Season 3 continues the saga of a dystopian society of 10,000 people living underground under mysterious circumstances, while revealing an origin story set centuries earlier.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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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.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
6 Apr. 2026
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There aren’t many ways to earn a club’s first win better than bewildering the league’s defending champions at their place.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The majesty of the natural world and the incomprehensible vastness of space are almost infinitely rearrangeable variables for documentarians.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
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Arthur is a creepy dude, a generic-looking cellphone store employee with an incomprehensible plan.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Upset over a bizarre technical foul in Game 2, Booker unloaded on the refs, particularly James Williams.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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The New York Giants had a completely bizarre draft on Thursday – one that even left star wide receiver Malik Nabers visibly frustrated during his own simulcast with Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzling. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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