perplexed

1 of 2

adjective

per·​plexed pər-ˈplekst How to pronounce perplexed (audio)
Synonyms of perplexed
1
: filled with uncertainty : puzzled
2
: full of difficulty
perplexedly
pər-ˈplek-səd-lē How to pronounce perplexed (audio) -ˈplekst-lē How to pronounce perplexed (audio)
adverb

perplexed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of perplex

Synonyms of perplexed

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of perplexed in a Sentence

Adjective He gave her a perplexed look. The explanation left me thoroughly perplexed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The perplexed inspector has no idea what – or where – that is. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026 Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 College football fans were a little perplexed as to why the flag wasn’t thrown. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 Nate said Klock, who was white, would introduce Nate, who is Black, as his son, which often left people perplexed. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for perplexed

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of perplexed was in the 15th century

Rhymes for perplexed

See All Rhymes for perplexed

Browse Nearby Words

perplex
perplexed
perplexedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Perplexed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perplexed. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All