puzzling

American  

[puhz-ling] / ˈpʌz lɪŋ /

adjective

1. confusing or baffling.

   a puzzling answer.

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noun

1. the skill or pastime of constructing or working crossword or other puzzles.

Other Word Forms

• puzzlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of puzzling

First recorded in 1590–1600; puzzle + -ing ²

Explanation

Something that's puzzling is confusing, or hard to understand. It might seem puzzling to you that your best friend claims to hate doughnuts. People sometimes act in puzzling ways, making decisions that you can't comprehend. You might also come across particularly puzzling questions on a test or quiz — these are the hard ones, taking a long time to figure out and requiring a lot of thought. Puzzling comes from the verb puzzle, whose origin is a bit of a puzzle itself. Some experts guess that it comes from pose, formed the way nuzzle is from nose.

Example Sentences

It would be easy to conclude that this is merely a case of managers using A.I. to do less work, but many employees have noticed something puzzling: Their managers seem more burned out than ever.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

He told me after our interview was over that he'd found the question "humbling and puzzling".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Which makes it puzzling that Jewett’s other books are so rarely reprinted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Byrne’s well-earned accolades allow “Tow” to fare better than it otherwise would have, while also causing “Tow” to horseshoe back to its starting point as an overall puzzling career choice.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

This phenomenon, causing sparks with a beam of light, was very puzzling to classical physicists.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• ambiguous
• baffling
• bewildering
• difficult
• incomprehensible
• inexplicable
• mystifying
• obscure
• perplexing
• surprising
• unclear
• unfathomable