perplexing

adjective

per·​plex·​ing pər-ˈplek-siŋ 

: difficult to understand : causing confusion

A perplexing feature of insomnia is that people seem to overestimate their sleep loss.

—Rita L. Atkinson et al.

Chronic acalculous biliary disorders are among the most perplexing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in medicine.

—Richard M. Gore

A perplexing problem, often encountered by cat owners, is that of a refusal to use the litterbox after using it for years in the past.

—Susan L. Mathews

perplexingly adverb

a perplexingly complex problem

This was all that I could observe of her in the dim light and under the perplexingly strange circumstances of our meeting.

—Wilkie Collins

Examples of perplexing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bulkiness of cooler weather jackets, coats, sweatshirts, and sweaters combined with the dilemma of hanging them in a closet or folding and placing them in a drawer is perplexing. —Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 24 Dec. 2024

The dearth of coverage on Chinese company's shareholder-friendly buybacks and dividends is a bit perplexing. —Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Trump waded into the longtime sore subject Friday, surprising — and perplexing — some lawmakers. —Emily Brooks, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2024

The most perplexing and concerning part of it all: TomoBoost still appears to be accepting new customers, charging prices ranging from $8.33 a month to $129.99 a month, depending on the tier of service and whether you’re billed monthly or annually. —Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above