as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
seeing her perplexity, the teacher stepped in with a helpful hint
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 perplexity
The performances, too, are more likenesses than full characterizations, which, admittedly, is wholly in keeping with the perplexities being dramatized.
—
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Gratitude isn’t obviously a concept capable of generating such perplexities.
—Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2024
The performances, too, are more likenesses than full characterizations, which, admittedly, is wholly in keeping with the perplexities being dramatized.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
And that perplexity surrounding coverage may get more complicated.
—Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for perplexity
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Gratitude isn’t obviously a concept capable of generating such perplexities.
—Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2024
The performances, too, are more likenesses than full characterizations, which, admittedly, is wholly in keeping with the perplexities being dramatized.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
And that perplexity surrounding coverage may get more complicated.
—Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for perplexity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexity
Noun
-
Some of those who chose to evacuate didn’t do so promptly, and there was widespread confusion whether evacuation was necessary at all.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
The end result of this copycat strategy was external confusion, internal demoralization, and financial underperformance.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
The bartenders stop pouring, the light smears into a soft crimson fog.—
Jeff Weiss,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
-
The regulatory bias against 401(k) crypto may be lifting, but that doesn’t mean the fog has dissipated.—
Chris Carosa,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perplexity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexity. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share