puzzling
adjective
puz·zling
ˈpə-zə-liŋ 
ˈpəz-liŋ
: difficult to understand or solve
puzzling symptoms
puzzlingly
adverb
Examples of puzzling in a Sentence
The directions are somewhat puzzling.
Recent Examples on the Web
Harriet Foster and her partner Vera Li are the lead detectives on the puzzling case.
—
Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024
The disappearance has made for one of the more puzzling cases taken on by the Jasper Police Department, which has had few leads so far.
—Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
By examining patterns, motives and psychological triggers, criminal profiling provides insights that often prove crucial in cracking the most puzzling cases.
—Callie Cassick, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
There are numerous photos of the pair together dating back to the 1990s (which makes the flub all the more puzzling), and the Sherlock Holmes actor congratulated the Rum Diary star after the conclusion of his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2021.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024
In what might be the most puzzling head-to-head record in English soccer, City — the team that seems to sweep all before it — just cannot get a win at Tottenham.
—Steve Douglas, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
So, at first blush, the decision to sit Conley was a little puzzling — not that there’s anything wrong with giving a 36-year-old guard the occasional day off.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2024
What's even more puzzling, leadership in the two unions say, is that the board that governs the airport granted airport police and firefighters the right to unionize in 2019, but excluded baggage handlers, bus drivers, maintenance crew, janitorial staff and others.
—Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
But in an ironic twist, the one thing the dark dimension hypothesis cannot explain is why the cosmological constant is so staggeringly small—a puzzling fact that essentially initiated this whole line of inquiry.
—Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024
The disappearance has made for one of the more puzzling cases taken on by the Jasper Police Department, which has had few leads so far.
—Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
By examining patterns, motives and psychological triggers, criminal profiling provides insights that often prove crucial in cracking the most puzzling cases.
—Callie Cassick, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
There are numerous photos of the pair together dating back to the 1990s (which makes the flub all the more puzzling), and the Sherlock Holmes actor congratulated the Rum Diary star after the conclusion of his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2021.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024
In what might be the most puzzling head-to-head record in English soccer, City — the team that seems to sweep all before it — just cannot get a win at Tottenham.
—Steve Douglas, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
So, at first blush, the decision to sit Conley was a little puzzling — not that there’s anything wrong with giving a 36-year-old guard the occasional day off.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2024
What's even more puzzling, leadership in the two unions say, is that the board that governs the airport granted airport police and firefighters the right to unionize in 2019, but excluded baggage handlers, bus drivers, maintenance crew, janitorial staff and others.
—Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
But in an ironic twist, the one thing the dark dimension hypothesis cannot explain is why the cosmological constant is so staggeringly small—a puzzling fact that essentially initiated this whole line of inquiry.
—Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'puzzling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near puzzling
Cite this Entry
“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puzzling. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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