Synonyms

perplexing

American

[per-plek-sing] / pərˈplɛk sɪŋ /

adjective

puzzling or bewildering; hard to understand, figure out, or solve.

One of the most perplexing aspects of owning a cat is trying to decipher its various body movements and meows.
The history of the universe is one of the most perplexing subjects of all time.

Other Word Forms

perplexingly adverb
unperplexing adjective

Etymology

Origin of perplexing

perplex ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

All which makes his disappearance on 3 April 2017 so perplexing.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

The ease and modesty present in “Marc by Sofia” sometimes seem perplexing.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

Some works are paradigmatic, some rather generic; the inclusion of others is perplexing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

However, it has been “a little perplexing why stocks have sold off the way they have” for the most recent round of IPOs, he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Because the term white crime lacks social meaning, the term white criminal is also perplexing.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023