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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

Despite the ubiquitous presence of “like” scales everywhere we look, such ratings perplex scientists because they are wholly subjective and so thought to be of unclear relevance and accuracy.

From Scientific American Oct. 3, 2022

Yusef wasn’t terrified of girls in hijab; they didn’t perplex him.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

However, what often perplexes people are the symptoms that mimic allergies, such as wheezing, headaches and skin flushing.

From Salon Jan. 8, 2024

“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

In fact Ketteler is the only man here who perplexes a reporter or historian.

From Letters From Rome on the Council by D?llinger, Johann Joseph Ignaz von

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

"In the UK there's a bad perception of representing your country at Eurovision?" asks a perplexed Satoshi.

From BBC May 17, 2026

Interviewers sometimes seem perplexed at why she would work for so little.

From The Wall Street Journal May 11, 2026

Under Ian’s wise, patient and perplexed guidance, the committee—and the games—lurch from one crisis to another, some large, some small, some global.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 30, 2026

It seemed as perplexed as he was by the girl.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

What’s perplexing is that Nolan’s said as much himself.

From Salon Jul. 18, 2026

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

From MarketWatch Jul. 3, 2026

Those who dug into his background soon found a perplexing trail of bold statements and obfuscations.

From Slate Jun. 29, 2026

The mismatch between theory and observation remains one of the most perplexing problems in modern physics.

From Science Daily Jun. 19, 2026

By day, my grandmother expertly managed a thriving Bible bookstore on the Far South Side, but in her off-hours with Dandy she was reduced to a meekness I found perplexing, even as a young girl.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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