perplexing
adjective
per·plex·ing
pər-ˈplek-siŋ 
: difficult to understand : causing confusion
A perplexing feature of insomnia is that people seem to overestimate their sleep loss.—
Rita L. Atkinson et al.
Rita L. Atkinson et al.Chronic acalculous biliary disorders are among the most perplexing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in medicine.—Richard M. Gore
Richard M. GoreA perplexing problem, often encountered by cat owners, is that of a refusal to use the litterbox after using it for years in the past.—Susan L. Mathews
Susan L. Mathews
perplexingly
adverb
a perplexingly complex problem
This was all that I could observe of her in the dim light and under the perplexingly strange circumstances of our meeting.
—Wilkie Collins
Wilkie Collins
Examples of perplexing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For nearly five decades, NASA's twin Voyager probes have plumbed the cosmos in search of answers to some of astronomy's most perplexing mysteries about our solar system and its place in the wider universe.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
The justice character dimension has been perplexing to people.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Spencer Jones is one of the more perplexing prospects in recent baseball memory.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Chronic pain — that is more perplexing, with its biological purpose, if there even is one, proving elusive.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
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Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
The justice character dimension has been perplexing to people.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Spencer Jones is one of the more perplexing prospects in recent baseball memory.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Chronic pain — that is more perplexing, with its biological purpose, if there even is one, proving elusive.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Cite this Entry
“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perplexing. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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