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perplex

American  
[per-pleks] / pərˈplɛks /

verb (used with object)

perplexes, present (3rd person singular) perplexed, past participle, past perplexing present participle
  1. to cause to be puzzled or bewildered over what is not understood or certain; confuse mentally.

    Her strange response perplexed me.

    Synonyms:
    confound, mystify
  2. to make complicated or confused, as a matter or question.

    Synonyms:
    snarl, tangle
  3. to hamper with complications, confusion, or uncertainty.

    Synonyms:
    bother, annoy, vex

perplex British  
/ pəˈplɛks /

verb

  1. to puzzle; bewilder; confuse

  2. to complicate

    to perplex an issue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Etymology

Origin of perplex

First recorded in 1585–95; back formation from perplexed

Explanation

To perplex someone is to amaze, baffle, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, mystify, or puzzle them. Perplexing things are hard to understand. If you're perplexed, then you're confused. Different things perplex different people. In football, a tricky defense will perplex a quarterback. Complicated formulas can perplex math students. When people do weird things, it can be perplexing. Anything hard to understand might perplex you. Perplexing also means to make something more complicated. So when you see the word perplex, think "Huh?"

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing perplex

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:

Joao Neves, Kvaratskhelia and Mendes ended up on the left flank in close proximity - an asymmetrical set-up intended to perplex Liverpool.

From BBC Apr. 9, 2026

Zika, a mosquito-borne virus first identified in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey, continues to perplex scientists in many ways nearly 80 years later.

From Salon Feb. 3, 2025

This pattern of abruptly rejecting safe foods can perplex parents and clinicians alike and, on the surface, can look like dieting.

From Slate Jan. 4, 2025

“Brand New Key” wasn’t the first No. 1 song to perplex listeners, and it wouldn’t be the last.

From New York Times Jan. 24, 2024

“You puzzle me, Jane: your look and tone of sorrowful audacity perplex and pain me. I want an explanation.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

She perplexes the heart, in part because she's more than simply a Don Juan figure.

From Salon Nov. 27, 2022

“It’s one of the questions that perplexes me.”

From Slate Oct. 30, 2022

As for the current disparity in white NFL coaches compared to minorities, it still perplexes Holcomb.

From Seattle Times Nov. 26, 2021

Yet even there, the ethnic aisle persists, and its composition often perplexes her.

From New York Times Aug. 10, 2021

The phenomenon however which perplexes me most in Cod.

From The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels by Burgon, John William

Impersonating a perplexed English person, the comedian says: "Let me get this straight ... you actively support the other teams because they're playing England?"

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

Then in the 2010s fertility dropped again, leaving researchers perplexed.

From BBC Jun. 15, 2026

I have struggled with my Catholic faith over the years, but nothing has perplexed me more than the idea of suffering.

From Los Angeles Times May 28, 2026

Hellenists like myself have been delighted by this upsurge of Greek drama but also perplexed by the dominance of a single playwright and a single set of myths.

From The Wall Street Journal May 6, 2026

I watch in perplexed silence as this continues, on and on, as everyone around me continues to cheer on the game.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

"Every step further back in time makes the puzzle more perplexing: How did the Universe produce supermassive black holes so quickly?"

From Science Daily Jul. 9, 2026

The weakness in the won then, has been perplexing to many forex analysts.

From MarketWatch Jul. 3, 2026

"This dark, industrial location as her wedding venue couldn't be more perplexing," Gaffney said.

From BBC Jun. 25, 2026

Could my beloved Pixar, which had already anthropomorphized so many things, really make something so upsetting and perplexing, and on so many levels?

From Salon Jun. 6, 2026

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

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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