Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cause to feel puzzled or confused: To make someone uncertain or unable to understand something clearly.
   • To make something complicated or difficult to understand: To introduce complexity or confusion into a matter or issue.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The strange instructions on the box perplexed me. (I was confused by the unclear instructions.)
  • His sudden change of heart perplexes his friends. (His friends are puzzled by his sudden change.)
  • The complexity of the legal document perplexed the new intern. (The intern found the document confusingly complex.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be perplexed by/at something": To be in a state of confusion or puzzlement about something.
  • She was genuinely perplexed by his contradictory statements. (His statements left her genuinely confused.)
• "a perplexing question/problem": A question or issue that is confusing and difficult to solve or understand.
  • The scientist faced a perplexing anomaly in the data. (The data contained a very confusing irregularity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Perplexed (adj): Describing someone who is confused or puzzled.
  • He had a perplexed look on his face. (His facial expression showed confusion.)
• Perplexing (adj): Describing something that causes confusion or is difficult to understand.
  • The movie had a perplexing ending. (The ending of the movie was confusing.)
• Perplexity (n): The state of being perplexed; confusion.
  • The news was met with great perplexity. (The news caused great confusion.)

Synonyms

• Bewilder: To cause someone to become perplexed and confused.
• Confuse: To make someone unable to think clearly or understand.
• Baffle: To utterly bewilder or perplex.
• Mystify: To make something obscure or mysterious, leading to confusion.

Antonyms

• Enlighten: To give someone greater knowledge and understanding; to clarify.
• Clarify: To make a statement or situation less confused and more comprehensible.

Related Phrases

• "to perplex the issue": To make a problem or situation more complicated and harder to resolve.
  • Adding more regulations now would only perplex the issue. (More regulations would only make the problem more confusing.)

Verb

1. make more complicated
   • There was a new development that complicated the matter
2. be a mystery or bewildering to
   • This beats me!
   • Got me--I don't know the answer!
   • a vexing problem
   • This question really stuck me