perplexity

noun

per·​plex·​i·​ty pər-ˈplek-sə-tē 

plural perplexities

1

: the state of being perplexed : bewilderment

2

: something that perplexes

3

: entanglement

Synonyms

• bafflement
• bamboozlement
• befuddlement
• bemusement
• bewilderedness
• bewilderment
• confusedness
• confusion
• discombobulation
• distraction
• fog
• head-scratching
• maze [chiefly dialect]
• muddle
• mystification
• puzzlement
• tangle
• whirl

Examples of perplexity in a Sentence

There was a look of perplexity on his face.

He stared at her in perplexity.

We will never solve all of the perplexities of life.

Recent Examples on the Web

And that perplexity surrounding coverage may get more complicated. —Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024

The team’s 13-billion-parameter model achieved a perplexity score of around 9 on one dataset, versus 5 for a LLaMA model with 13 billion parameters. —IEEE Spectrum, 30 May 2024

Excitement and perplexity have long since stiffened into certainty. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 13 June 2024

The authors expressed perplexity about why excess deaths actually rose in 2021, despite the arrival of the vaccines and the implementation of social anti-pandemic measures, and remained elevated the following year. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English perplexite, from Middle French perplexité, from Late Latin perplexitat-, perplexitas, from Latin perplexus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

perplexity

noun

per·​plex·​i·​ty pər-ˈplek-sət-ē 

plural perplexities

1

: the state of being perplexed : bewilderment

2

: something that perplexes