puzzling

adjective

puz·​zling ˈpə-zə-liŋ How to pronounce puzzling (audio)
ˈpəz-liŋ
: difficult to understand or solve
puzzling symptoms
puzzlingly adverb

Examples of puzzling in a Sentence

The directions are somewhat puzzling.
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.
Chris Coffey, a political strategist who worked on Andrew Yang’s unsuccessful 2021 mayoral run, noted petitioning in the 2025 race starts next week, making Adams’ apparent lack of a campaign operation more puzzling. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025 But a deeper look at the data also suggests something more puzzling: the Gen Z voters who overwhelmingly helped propel Joe Biden to the White House in 2020 are not the same Gen Z voters who backed a second Trump term in 2024. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025 And that leads us back to the most puzzling of The Witcher’s hanging chads: a second spinoff, codenamed Riff Raff and created by Witcher writer Haily Hall, which was partially filmed but never formally announced. Scott Meslow, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025 What’s puzzling is that, in both of these severe cases, the virus was not related to the virus that is circulating in cattle. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puzzling

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of puzzling was circa 1659

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Cite this Entry

“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puzzling. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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