Synonyms

puzzling

American

[puhz-ling] / ˈpʌz lɪŋ /

adjective

confusing or baffling.

a puzzling answer.

noun

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

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.

What is puzzling is that I filmed and published that 19 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

FRBs are among the most puzzling phenomena in astronomy, but locating where they come from with precision could mark the start of a new phase in research, allowing scientists to better understand their cosmic origins.

From Science Daily

Many of them display puzzling fluctuations in brightness, brief increases in light that interrupt the expected smooth curve and hint that complex processes are unfolding within the expanding debris.

From Science Daily

A puzzling fossil from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation in WA has now been examined using advanced imaging techniques such as CT scanning and computed tomography.

From Science Daily

A puzzling part of the ongoing war is that Iran has largely been visibly absent in the cyber domain.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023