Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Causing confusion or perplexity: Describes something that is difficult to understand, solve, or explain, leading to a state of mental uncertainty.
   • Lacking clarity of meaning: Refers to information, statements, or situations that are obscure, ambiguous, or not easily interpreted.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The instructions were so puzzling that no one could assemble the furniture correctly.
  • She gave a puzzling answer that left everyone in the room wondering what she meant.
  • The disappearance of the ancient artifact remains a puzzling mystery.

Advanced Usage

• "to find something puzzling": to be confused or perplexed by something.
  • I find his recent behavior very puzzling.
• Used attributively (before a noun):
  • It was a puzzling turn of events.
• Used predicatively (after a linking verb like 'be', 'seem', 'appear'):
  • The results of the experiment are puzzling.

Variants and Related Words

• Puzzle (verb/noun): To cause someone to feel confused because they cannot understand something; a game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.
  • Verb: The mystery continues to puzzle investigators.
  • Noun: She enjoys solving crossword puzzles.
• Puzzled (adjective): Describing the person who is confused or perplexed.
  • He had a puzzled expression on his face.
• Puzzlement (noun): The state of being confused or perplexed.
  • Her decision was met with widespread puzzlement.

Synonyms

• Perplexing: Causing someone to feel completely baffled.
• Confusing: Causing a lack of understanding; unclear.
• Bewildering: Extremely confusing.
• Enigmatic: Mysterious and difficult to understand.
• Incomprehensible: Impossible to understand.

Antonyms

• Clear: Easy to perceive, understand, or interpret.
• Obvious: Easily perceived or understood; clear.
• Straightforward: Uncomplicated and easy to do or understand.
• Lucid: Expressed clearly; easy to understand.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A puzzling question: A question that is very difficult to answer or understand.
  • The origins of the universe present a puzzling question for scientists.
• Puzzling over something: Thinking hard about something confusing in an attempt to understand it.
  • He spent the evening puzzling over the cryptic message.

Adjective

1. lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity
   • sent confusing signals to Iraq
   • perplexing to someone who knew nothing about it
   • a puzzling statement
2. not clear to the understanding
   • I didn't grasp the meaning of that enigmatic comment until much later
   • prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries