as in baffling
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in complicating
to make complex or difficult
let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the question perplexed me
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Recent Examples of perplexing
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
In a show full of people doing dumb stuff, Anna is doing dumb stuff for ambiguous reasons, though nearly every aspect of her character is rendered either perplexing or illogical in the finale.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Tutu Atwell’s role is perplexing Every fan base has some trademark bits.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Adjective
This perplexing Pearsall predicament particularly matters because the Niners are walking into a buzzsaw.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
In a show full of people doing dumb stuff, Anna is doing dumb stuff for ambiguous reasons, though nearly every aspect of her character is rendered either perplexing or illogical in the finale.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
But as the fearsome storm unfolded, perplexing science questions emerged, said Joshua Wadler, an associate scientist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach who was aboard the flights on Kermit with Hazelton.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Tutu Atwell’s role is perplexing Every fan base has some trademark bits.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexing
Adjective
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Her baffling disappearance has gripped the nation, leading many Americans to question how an octogenarian leading a sleepy life in the Southwest was taken while her neighbors were asleep.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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Bundy finds this ideological betrayal totally baffling.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Brontë’s genius lies in complicating hate and love, in passing burdens across generations.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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Further complicating things were that the fastball-slider combo essentially stayed on the same plane, mostly up in the strike zone.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yet along with the congratulations to Schofield and her husband, Michael, came a rather puzzling rejoinder.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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But after Creech died in 2003, her other children found something puzzling in her personal belongings.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Here's a breakdown of the somewhat confusing chain of events from this week.—
Hannah Hudnall,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Feb. 2026
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What’s confusing is that Kevan is so confused to be stood up.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One day, Will goes viral after embarrassing ROAR league MVP, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), during a streetball challenge, prompting his favorite team, the Vineland Thorns, to sign him to a season-ending contract in a desperate attempt to juice ticket sales.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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And then Thaddeus’s arm falls off, embarrassing his companions.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Visit our website Republicans, by contrast, offer a muddled message.—
Neetu Arnold,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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Why is the messaging so muddled here?—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexing. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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