puzzlement

noun

puz·​zle·​ment ˈpə-zəl-mənt 

1

: the state of being puzzled : perplexity

2

: puzzle

Synonyms

• bafflement
• bamboozlement
• befuddlement
• bemusement
• bewilderedness
• bewilderment
• confusedness
• confusion
• discombobulation
• distraction
• fog
• head-scratching
• maze [chiefly dialect]
• muddle
• mystification
• perplexity
• tangle
• whirl

Examples of puzzlement in a Sentence

The cause of the accident has been a source of puzzlement.

The explanation only increased their puzzlement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Barbara’s face cracked in puzzlement, as if her ability to make the sale hinged on her ability to answer this question; her siren-red lower lip jutted, a vein shivered on her forehead. —Joshua Cohen, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024

But puzzlement quickly shades into pleasure across the album’s sparse but unsparing 23 minutes: Ominous lyrics about scammers, guns, and LSD are brightened by some of Blunt’s poppiest compositions, full of swelling strings and jangling guitars. —Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024

Megalopolis has been an object of curiosity, passion and puzzlement across the film and cultural landscape, first surfacing as a finished work nearly two months before its world premiere in Cannes. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024

The Afghans observed these developments at first with puzzlement, then with frustration, and ultimately with anger. —Karl W. Eikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

puzzlement

noun

puz·​zle·​ment ˈpəz-əl-mənt 

1

: the state of being puzzled

2

: puzzle entry 2 sense 2a