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.

His cracked and scaly skin sagged in puzzling places.

From Literature

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

From BBC

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

From The Wall Street Journal

However, he said that elsewhere, there are “puzzling dislocations in relative valuation across the sector to help investors identify opportunities in parts of the market that may currently be out of favor.”

From Barron's

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

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