puzzling

adjective

puz·​zling ˈpə-zə-liŋ How to pronounce puzzling (audio)
ˈpəz-liŋ
: difficult to understand or solve
puzzling symptoms
puzzlingly adverb

Examples of puzzling in a Sentence

The directions are somewhat puzzling.
Recent Examples on the Web
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But the more puzzling sequences are offset by the mindless pleasure of destroying everything in your path, which is also a valid solution for many problems. Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 July 2025 Some only require smacking a machine with a wrench, while others can be more puzzling at first — like rapidly hitting button prompts to kickstart a fire generator and tossing it into a frozen anomaly without setting yourself on fire. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025 The description is a bit over the top, but what seems even more puzzling is that the restoration was financed by an industrial shipyard. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 20 June 2025 All that said, the this weekend’s Matchday 17 schedule is extremely puzzling, particularly the early portion of it, in which there are two matches that will clash significantly with the UEFA Champions League Final between Paris-St. Germain and Inter Milan. Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for puzzling

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of puzzling was circa 1659

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Cite this Entry

“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puzzling. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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