noun
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the state of being perplexed
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the state of being intricate or complicated
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something that perplexes
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of perplexity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perplexite, from Old French, from Late Latin perplexitās, from Latin perplex(us) ( see perplexed) + -itās -ity
Explanation
Perplexity is confusion that results from something being complicated. The instruction manuals for computer components might put a look of perplexity on your face. If you think of the word complexity — which is when something is really intricate or involves lots of complicated parts — it might help you remember that perplexity is the state that results from complexity. You might experience perplexity at the complexity of the plays your coach has diagrammed, or perplexity at the complicated menu options at an Indian restaurant.
Vocabulary lists containing perplexity
The Jungle
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"Home" by Anton Chekhov
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myPerspectives 10.6
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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.
See Examples For:
In some cases, such as the dollar, price action has followed the usual playbook but the real perplexity lies in U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
The mainstream press expressed perplexity at his embrace of an Irish cultural identity "despite being born and raised in England".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2025
The results challenge a so-called Darwinian paradox that expresses a sense of perplexity about the prevalence of same-sex sexual behaviors in many species.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 30, 2023
“It seems that the sea was calm,” Francis said, seemingly expressing perplexity that such a grave tragedy could happen in those conditions.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
Still involved in my perplexity, I exclaimed piteously, “I am wearing my shirt!”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
The performances, too, are more likenesses than full characterizations, which, admittedly, is wholly in keeping with the perplexities being dramatized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2024
In flight from perplexities of their own, and intolerant of those of others, many academics are not “captured by” Twitter; it is their “safe space.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022
The paper focuses, as Kripke puts in, on “the perplexities some philosophers have felt concerning the simple first person pronoun ‘I’.”
From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2019
Stephenson carefully lays out the perplexities of this situation.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2019
In the meantime Mr. Pocket grew greyer, and tried oftener to lift himself out of his perplexities by the hair.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
