perplex
verb (used with object)
to cause to be puzzled or bewildered over what is not understood or certain; confuse mentally.
had been perplexing
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past perfect progressiveof perplex.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
David Gauke, a former Conservative lawmaker who served in the cabinet of then Prime Minister Theresa May, said Mr. Robinson was a marginalized figure, and that the Trump administration’s support of him had been perplexing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2021
George began to understand certain things that had been perplexing to him.
From A Damsel in Distress by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
His face, to begin with, had worried her; the faint hint of having seen him somewhere before had been perplexing.
From To Love by Margaret Peterson
For another thing, his reserve had been perplexing, and it was borne in upon her that it would have cost her a more determined effort to withstand him had he spoken with fire and passion.
From Masters of the Wheat-Lands by Harold Bindloss
Many of the questions which had been perplexing her were answered, many new ones raised.
From Comrade Yetta by Albert Edwards
