PERPLEXING Synonyms: 174 Similar and Opposite Words

perplexing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of perplexing

as in baffling

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

perplexing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of perplex

as in complicating

to make complex or difficult let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in puzzling

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the question perplexed me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of perplexing

Adjective

The second surprising ingredient was the most perplexing to me. — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2026 Despite a relatively long history of drive-through bans, the idea is still novel and perplexing to Californians who love their burgers and love their cars. — Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Verb

That’s perplexing to Alvarez and Oakley, given that Cal State tuition is still relatively low, despite recent annual tuition hikes. — Cal Matters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026 The disjunction between the abstract composition and the notion of self-portraiture appeared perplexing in its own right; its inoperability only exacerbated the viewer’s frustration and redoubled the artist’s impish provocation. — Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for perplexing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexing

Adjective

Bugs Bunny being in the real world is frankly not as baffling as Michael Jordan’s detour into minor-league baseball.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
The episode submissions this year are a little baffling, often not reflecting the series’ best work.

— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of baffling

Verb

Bond yields Persistent inflation, tariffs and whipsawing gas prices are not the only obstacles complicating the task for the Fed.

— Brian Cheung, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
Nepalese officials said that dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) of roads were damaged, complicating search efforts.

— Shristi Kafle, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of complicating

Verb

Over the course of her prolific career, Zambreno has written 10 books — each as puzzling and surprising as the last.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The bizarre body plan Before this discovery, there was a puzzling 80-million-year gap in the fossil record.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of puzzling

Adjective

Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a hodgepodge of financial advice and confusing diagrams held together by anecdotes from Kiyosaki’s childhood.

— Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Disability rights advocates fear the changes to special education oversight weaken the federal safety net for autistic students and others with disabilities, making these systems more confusing when families need help enforcing students’ rights.

— Claire Sibonney, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of confusing

Verb

The comprehensive regimen is meant to uncover any prior criminal conduct in an applicant’s past as well as embarrassing personal information that could make an employee vulnerable to blackmail.

— Eric Tucker, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Since then, Hochman has been slammed for playing politics, embarrassing his office and even backing down for no reason other than the pressure was too intense.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrassing

Adjective

Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026

Definition of confounding

Adjective

Xabi Alonso’s Madrid, for stretches of last season, looked tactically muddled and defensively exposed.

— Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Despite being trained on the glorious quirks of humankind’s creative canon, the models push our ersatz artistic output into a bland, muddled middle ground.

— Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of muddled

Browse Nearby Words

perplexes

perplexing

perplexities

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Style

“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of perplexing

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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