noun
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the state of being perplexed
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the state of being intricate or complicated
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something that perplexes
Etymology
Origin of perplexity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perplexite, from Old French, from Late Latin perplexitās, from Latin perplex(us) ( perplexed ) + -itās -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But,” she says, “I can’t overcome a certain perplexity that here I am contemplating suicide … in a state of relative contentment.”
From Seattle Times
Her clients, too, each in therapy for different reasons, mirrored her perplexity.
From Los Angeles Times
Saturday also forbade us from asserting, whether in perplexity or pleasure, that we have not had a trace of snow all year.
From Washington Post
After I saw Mr. Gionet, I called up some of my old colleagues, who recalled him with a mixture of perplexity and repulsion.
From New York Times
Voters there took deep breaths, coaxed themselves into sanity or otherwise sought refuge from the perplexity and possible further delays.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
