perplexing

adjective
UK: /pəˈpleksɪŋ/
US: /pərˈpleksɪŋ/

  1. Difficult to understand; causing confusion or worry.

    1. The instructions were quite perplexing, I couldn't follow them.
    2. The detective found the perplexing clues ultimately leading to the hidden treasure.

Synonyms

puzzling baffling bewildering
perplexing verb

  1. Present participle of perplex: confusing or troubling someone.

    1. His perplexing behavior made me question his motives.
    2. The perplexing nature of her decisions left the whole team feeling uneasy and lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "perplexing" is /pəˈpleksɪŋ/ in British English and /pərˈpleksɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "perplexing": puzzling, baffling, bewildering.

Example usage of "perplexing": "The instructions were quite perplexing, I couldn't follow them.". More examples on the page.