perplexed

American  

[per-plekst] / pərˈplɛkst /

adjective

1. bewildered; puzzled.

   a perplexed state of mind.

2. complicated; involved; entangled.

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Other Word Forms

• perplexedly
  adverb
• perplexedness
  noun
• self-perplexed
  adjective
• unperplexed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of perplexed

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perplex “confused,” from Latin perplexus ( see per-, complex) + -ed ²

Explanation

Use the adjective perplexed to describe someone who is utterly baffled or confused. If you've ever studied for the wrong test and been surprised and confused by the exam in front of you, you've been perplexed. There's a particular bewildered kind of facial expression that goes along with the word perplexed. It's the kind of emotion that's hard to disguise. The Latin root perplexus means "confused or entangled," and "entangled" is a great way to imagine the tangled thoughts and confusion of someone who's perplexed.

Example Sentences

The perplexed faces of the agency people in those conference rooms feel familiar to me today.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

When Tamjidi told some older customers about the silent reading party, she said they were perplexed, asking, “Wait, so they would come and sit with each other, not talk, but just read silently?”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The 27-year-old Kelly was furious with the 49th-minute decision, booting a wall in the tunnel on his exit, while manager Luciano Spalletti wore a perplexed look on the sidelines.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

The growing numbers of younger people being diagnosed with bowel cancer has left doctors worldwide perplexed.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

So for the perplexed audiences who first heard it in 1804 and 1805, even the funeral march is denied its thundering climax, collapsing rather than concluding.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• bewildered
• puzzled
• uncertain