perplexing

American  

[per-plek-sing] / pərˈplɛk sɪŋ /

adjective

1. puzzling or bewildering; hard to understand, figure out, or solve.

   One of the most perplexing aspects of owning a cat is trying to decipher its various body movements and meows.

   The history of the universe is one of the most perplexing subjects of all time.

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Other Word Forms

• perplexingly adverb
• unperplexing adjective

Etymology

Origin of perplexing

perplex ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Though her film is singularly witty, Kramer refuses to shy away from tough subjects and perplexing contradictions.

From Salon

However, it has been “a little perplexing why stocks have sold off the way they have” for the most recent round of IPOs, he said.

From Barron's

However, it has been “a little perplexing why stocks have sold off the way they have” for the most recent round of IPOs, he said.

From Barron's

"At a time when the literacy levels are a concern why you would end a programme that you know is impactful and helps children with their reading seems a bit perplexing to us."

From BBC

And while every film doesn’t need to be an intensely demanding challenge, it’s perplexing that someone with such a compelling on-screen presence has trouble translating that force to her first outing as a director.

From Salon

Related Words

• baffling
• complicated
• confusing
• convoluted
• disconcerting
• knotty
• mysterious
• mystifying
• puzzling
• thorny
• worrying