perplexed
Americanadjective
-
bewildered; puzzled.
a perplexed state of mind.
-
complicated; involved; entangled.
Other Word Forms
- perplexedly adverb
- perplexedness noun
- self-perplexed adjective
- unperplexed adjective
Etymology
Origin of perplexed
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perplex “confused,” from Latin perplexus ( see per-, complex) + -ed 2
Explanation
Use the adjective perplexed to describe someone who is utterly baffled or confused. If you've ever studied for the wrong test and been surprised and confused by the exam in front of you, you've been perplexed. There's a particular bewildered kind of facial expression that goes along with the word perplexed. It's the kind of emotion that's hard to disguise. The Latin root perplexus means "confused or entangled," and "entangled" is a great way to imagine the tangled thoughts and confusion of someone who's perplexed.
Vocabulary lists containing perplexed
The Crucible
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Emotions on Display
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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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.
The perplexed faces of the agency people in those conference rooms feel familiar to me today.
From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026
Samuel Johnson complained, more than 250 years ago, that William Shakespeare’s style was “ungrammatical, perplexed, and obscure.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
“I’m perplexed. My membership is perplexed as to why they didn’t go into effect because we knew that this was going to help. We’re at a standstill right now,” Clark said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
All the while, the former secretary of state looks on perplexed.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
They're not sure why this perplexed, panting officer is looking at all of them like they're in cahoots.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
