perplexing

[ per-plek-sing ]

adjective

1. puzzling or bewildering; hard to understand, figure out, or solve:

   One of the most perplexing aspects of owning a cat is trying to decipher its various body movements and meows.

   The history of the universe is one of the most perplexing subjects of all time.

Other Words From

• per·plex·ing·ly adverb
• un·per·plex·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of perplexing¹

perplex ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Example Sentences

It is a rivalry that rarely disappoints, which made the first half all the more perplexing.

From BBC

The case raises a perplexing question: is a notification valid if no copy of it can be found?

From BBC

In campaign terms, this is an extremely perplexing outcome.

From Slate

Their daughter’s determination to become a comic was perplexing to them, to say the least.

From Los Angeles Times

But a third group, which includes many independents as well as moderate Republicans, is the most perplexing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• baffling
• complicated
• confusing
• convoluted
• disconcerting
• knotty
• mysterious
• mystifying
• puzzling
• thorny
• worrying