as in baffling
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in complicating
to make complex or difficult
let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the question perplexed me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of perplexing
ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
The oven was equally perplexing.
—Jason Fried, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
But as the fearsome storm unfolded, perplexing science questions emerged, said Joshua Wadler, an associate scientist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach who was aboard the flights on Kermit with Hazelton.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Adjective
The craze is perplexing to parents, but Bennett said the Hornets have embraced it to bring joy to young people.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
The oven was equally perplexing.
—Jason Fried, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
Even more than the finished show, this eerie, perplexing multi-Gaga spectacle feels like a glimpse into her subconscious.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
But as the fearsome storm unfolded, perplexing science questions emerged, said Joshua Wadler, an associate scientist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach who was aboard the flights on Kermit with Hazelton.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perplexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perplexing
Adjective
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And throughout this tumultuous epoch, the battle over America got wrapped up in the baffling intricacies of health care—first insurance coverage, then COVID.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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Even so, Pritzker’s unwillingness to push for construction in Bronzeville, on the site of the former Michael Reese Hospital, remains a baffling mystery.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The only factor complicating a further invasion would be the political cost at home.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
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Differences in how often vaccinated people versus unvaccinated people visit health care professionals are a common complicating factor that affects vaccine studies, explains Niemi Eide.—
Tara Haelle,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So the absence of any real investment in the interior offensive line this offseason is puzzling.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Told initially from his child-like perspective, the narrator reflects on a disorienting, puzzling day when his father picked him up late from school.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The cash issue is confusing to many, as Media Capital Technologies has touted backing from MassMutual, a sizeable insurance and financial services company.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
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In lesser hands, this could have been confusing; instead all the banter between a rock-spider-crawly alien entity and a handsome de-facto astronaut comes across as engaging and funny.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Harbaugh has taken a blow torch to the Giants’ embarrassing special teams unit.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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McNutt housed some 700 kids — about one-third of the population of French Lick — and Bird found the campus outside the dormitory walls bewildering.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
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Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the end, March Madness became a muddled mess as Florida’s push to repeat as national champions unraveled in a devastating loss to Iowa.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
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Coming off the muddled, troubling end to the regular season, with two of their best wins, and their two worst losses within the last handful of games, the UConn men needed a play to start the healing process.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perplexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perplexing. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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