Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense perplexes, present participle perplexing, past tense, past participle perplexed
verb
If something perplexes you, it confuses and worries you because you do not understand it or because it causes you difficulty.
It perplexed him because he was tackling it the wrong way. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of perplex
perplex in British English
(pəˈplɛks)
verb(transitive)
1.
to puzzle; bewilder; confuse
2.
to complicate
to perplex an issue
Word origin
C15: from obsolete perplex (adj) intricate, from Latin perplexus entangled, from per- (thoroughly) + plectere to entwine
perplex in American English
(pərˈplɛks)
verb transitive
1.
to make (a person) uncertain, doubtful, or hesitant; confuse; puzzle
2.
to make intricate or complicated; make confusing or hard to understand
to perplex an issue
noun
3. Rare, Archaic
perplexity
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈpuzzle
Derived forms
perplexing (perˈplexing)
adjective
perplexingly (perˈplexingly)
adverb
Word origin
< ME perplex, perplexed < MFr perplexe < L perplexus, entangled, confused, involved < per, through + plexus, pp. of plectere, to twist, plait: see ply2
Examples of 'perplex' in a sentence
perplex
Other choices are a little more perplexing.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
My father sounded perplexed and a little indignant.
James Fergusson KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
But it left me a little perplexed.
The Sun (2009)
Then another equally perplexing issue surfaced.
Christianity Today (2000)
The reaction is a little perplexing.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And you'll also be pursuing intriguing but somewhat perplexing offers.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He pauses for a second, looking a little perplexed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Yet the perplexing issues you're currently facing lack logical explanations or solutions.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Will the next age look back on ours, equally perplexed at our desperation for something to blame?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What you learn may not be comfortable, but the resulting insights make previously perplexing issues considerably clearer.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
If the toughness of government love remains open to question, its stance on skills is still somewhat perplexing.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Today tourists are equally perplexed.
The Sun (2014)
Stade de France is equally perplexing.
The Sun (2006)
But an expedition organised by the charity Cape Farewell discovered something perplexing.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But the most perplexing issue remains Notts County.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This raises perplexing issues, and not just about what you're dealing with in the here and now.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The bigger issue perplexing fans of Premier League clubs is the metaphysical question of what actually constitutes a football club.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Having played in the era when replacements first became a prominent part of the game's pattern, he remains equally perplexed.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Chinese translation of 'perplex'
perplex
(pəˈplɛks)
vt
使 ... 迷惑 (shǐ ... míhuò)
Nearby words of
perplex
permit
perpendicular
perpendicular to
perplex
persecute
persecution
persevere
1 (verb)
Definition
to puzzle or bewilder
problems that perplexed me
Synonyms
puzzle
What puzzles me is why nobody has complained before now.
confuse
Politics just confuses me.
stump
Well, maybe I stumped you on that one.
baffle
An apple tree producing square fruit is baffling experts.
bewilder
The silence from her sister had hurt and bewildered her.
muddle
Don't talk all at once, you're muddling me.
confound
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.
beset
The country is beset by severe economic problems.
mystify
There was something strange in her attitude that mystified me.
faze
befuddle
He liked to befuddle his readers.
flummox
This system has the potential to flummox most car thieves.
bemuse
It doesn't bemuse readers with pompous language.
dumbfound
The question dumbfounded him.
nonplus
mix you up
2 (verb)
Definition
to complicate
Synonyms
complicate
Don't complicate matters by getting others involved.
involve
I seem to have involved myself in something I don't understand.
tangle
Themes get tangled in his elliptical storytelling.
mix up
thicken
jumble
All our old clothes were jumbled together in the attic.
entangle
Bureaucracy can entangle ventures for months.
encumber
snarl up
Additional synonyms
in the sense of baffle
Definition
to perplex
An apple tree producing square fruit is baffling experts.
Synonyms
puzzle,
beat (slang),
amaze,
confuse,
stump,
bewilder,
astound,
elude,
confound,
perplex,
disconcert,
mystify,
flummox,
boggle the mind of,
dumbfound
in the sense of befuddle
He liked to befuddle his readers.
Synonyms
confuse,
puzzle,
baffle,
bewilder,
muddle,
daze,
perplex,
mystify,
disorient,
faze,
stupefy,
flummox,
bemuse,
intoxicate
in the sense of bemuse
It doesn't bemuse readers with pompous language.
Synonyms
puzzle,
stun,
confuse,
overwhelm,
stump,
baffle,
bewilder,
muddle,
daze,
confound,
perplex,
mystify,
flummox,
nonplus,
amaze
Synonyms of 'perplex'
perplex
Explore 'perplex' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beset
Definition
to trouble or harass constantly
The country is beset by severe economic problems.
Synonyms
plague,
trouble,
embarrass,
torture,
haunt,
torment,
harass,
afflict,
badger,
perplex,
pester,
vex,
entangle,
bedevil
in the sense of bewilder
Definition
to confuse utterly
The silence from her sister had hurt and bewildered her.
Synonyms
confound,
surprise,
stun,
confuse,
puzzle,
baffle,
mix up,
daze,
perplex,
mystify,
stupefy,
befuddle,
flummox,
bemuse,
dumbfound,
nonplus,
flabbergast (informal)
in the sense of confound
Definition
to astound or bewilder
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.
Synonyms
bewilder,
baffle,
amaze,
confuse,
astonish,
startle,
mix up,
astound,
perplex,
surprise,
mystify,
flummox,
boggle the mind,
be all Greek to (informal),
dumbfound,
nonplus,
flabbergast (informal)
in the sense of confuse
Definition
to perplex or disconcert
Politics just confuses me.
Synonyms
bewilder,
puzzle,
baffle,
perplex,
mystify,
fluster,
faze,
flummox,
bemuse,
be all Greek to (informal),
nonplus
in the sense of dumbfound
The question dumbfounded him.
Synonyms
amaze,
stun,
astonish,
confuse,
overwhelm,
stagger,
startle,
bewilder,
astound,
confound,
take aback,
bowl over (informal),
flummox,
nonplus,
flabbergast (informal)
in the sense of entangle
Definition
to involve in a complicated series of problems or difficulties
Bureaucracy can entangle ventures for months.
Synonyms
embroil,
involve,
complicate,
mix up,
muddle,
implicate,
bog down,
enmesh
in the sense of flummox
Definition
to puzzle or confuse
This system has the potential to flummox most car thieves.
Synonyms
baffle,
confuse,
stump,
perplex,
defeat,
fox,
puzzle,
bewilder,
mystify,
stymie,
bamboozle (informal),
bring up short,
nonplus
in the sense of involve
Definition
to implicate
I seem to have involved myself in something I don't understand.
Synonyms
implicate,
tangle,
mix up,
embroil,
link,
entangle,
incriminate,
mire,
stitch up (slang),
enmesh,
inculpate (formal),
compromise,
complicate,
snarl up
in the sense of jumble
Definition
to mix up
All our old clothes were jumbled together in the attic.
Synonyms
mix,
mistake,
confuse,
disorder,
shuffle,
tangle,
muddle,
confound,
entangle,
ravel,
disorganize,
disarrange,
dishevel
in the sense of muddle
Definition
to make (someone) confused
Don't talk all at once, you're muddling me.
Synonyms
confuse,
bewilder,
daze,
confound,
perplex,
disorient,
stupefy,
befuddle
Additional synonyms
in the sense of mystify
Definition
to confuse, bewilder, or puzzle
There was something strange in her attitude that mystified me.
Synonyms
puzzle,
confuse,
baffle,
bewilder,
beat (slang),
escape,
stump,
elude,
confound,
perplex,
bamboozle (informal),
flummox,
be all Greek to (informal),
nonplus,
befog
in the sense of stump
Definition
to baffle or confuse (someone)
Well, maybe I stumped you on that one.
Synonyms
baffle,
confuse,
puzzle,
snooker,
foil,
bewilder,
confound,
perplex,
mystify,
outwit,
stymie,
flummox,
bring (someone) up short,
dumbfound,
nonplus
in the sense of tangle
Themes get tangled in his elliptical storytelling.