puzzling

American  

[puhz-ling] / ˈpʌz lɪŋ /

adjective

1. confusing or baffling.

   a puzzling answer.

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noun

1. the skill or pastime of constructing or working crossword or other puzzles.

Other Word Forms

• puzzlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of puzzling

First recorded in 1590–1600; puzzle + -ing ²

Explanation

Something that's puzzling is confusing, or hard to understand. It might seem puzzling to you that your best friend claims to hate doughnuts. People sometimes act in puzzling ways, making decisions that you can't comprehend. You might also come across particularly puzzling questions on a test or quiz — these are the hard ones, taking a long time to figure out and requiring a lot of thought. Puzzling comes from the verb puzzle, whose origin is a bit of a puzzle itself. Some experts guess that it comes from pose, formed the way nuzzle is from nose.

Example Sentences

Yet clear fossil evidence only dates back to about 540 million years ago, leaving a puzzling 160 million-year gap in the record.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

It would be easy to conclude that this is merely a case of managers using A.I. to do less work, but many employees have noticed something puzzling: Their managers seem more burned out than ever.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

And yet he then showed why he has admirers who find his exclusion from Tuchel's plans puzzling.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Byrne’s well-earned accolades allow “Tow” to fare better than it otherwise would have, while also causing “Tow” to horseshoe back to its starting point as an overall puzzling career choice.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

But a puzzling question remains: Why would Andrew Jackson go to such great personal expense and spend his days at the trial of some enslaved men?

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

• ambiguous
• baffling
• bewildering
• difficult
• incomprehensible
• inexplicable
• mystifying
• obscure
• perplexing
• surprising
• unclear
• unfathomable