1
as in inexplicable
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in perplexing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puzzling
James Mirtle, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Yet these behemoths’ most puzzling feature is a whip-like tail that can measure as long as the rest of the fish’s body.
—Jack Tamisiea, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Evan Bush, NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024
The recent sightings of puzzling unidentified aircraft in New Jersey and other states have triggered yet another round of unanswered questions — and fueled conspiracy theories.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puzzling
Adjective
Maybe the most puzzling part of this trade is Chicago’s role in all of it.
—James Mirtle, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Yet these behemoths’ most puzzling feature is a whip-like tail that can measure as long as the rest of the fish’s body.
—Jack Tamisiea, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
But in several puzzling cases, no source of infection has been identified.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024
The recent sightings of puzzling unidentified aircraft in New Jersey and other states have triggered yet another round of unanswered questions — and fueled conspiracy theories.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puzzling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzling
Adjective
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These are the people who, for some inexplicable reason, will park right next to you, even though there are hundreds of open spaces in the parking lot.—
Sherry Kuehl,
Kansas City Star,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Leno has generally been good this season but was comically poor in this one, a poor pass to Pereira followed by an inexplicable howler.—
Roshane Thomas,
The Athletic,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The apparent identity mix-up is a key point of confusion in a detailed and often perplexing set of allegations that Webb is lodging publicly against Jones and Thao.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
The Mercury News,
2 Feb. 2025
-
Few stories are as perplexing and tragic as that of Mary the elephant.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The world’s waters are deep and mysterious places, and the best fishermen are good at keeping secrets.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
-
The investigation finds Reacher smack dab in the center of a mysterious rug import business called Bizarre Bazaar.—
Chris Gardner,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Starting five is settling in One of the most baffling aspects of the Celtics’ six-week swoon was how poorly their preferred starting lineup was performing.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Most baffling to many were the firings of hundreds whose jobs were not funded by taxpayers.—
Christina Jewett,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This is something incomprehensible to any human being.—
Caitlin McFall,
Fox News,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The loss of Oakland’s MLB team and then the city’s greatest MLB son in the same year is an almost incomprehensible loss for fans like Peters, who feel abandoned by the league.—
Melissa Lockard,
The Athletic,
21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The exact circumstances surrounding Grant’s death were unclear late Saturday, but advocates were circulating a Facebook post by a relative of another man held at Auburn that claimed Grant had sought medical assistance prior to being discovered unresponsive.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
23 Feb. 2025
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The next phase of the ceasefire remains unclear Before the current stage of the ceasefire expires Mar. 2, Hamas is meant to return the remains of four Israeli hostages this coming Thursday, and Israel is meant to release more Palestinian detainees and prisoners Saturday.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The expo’s Instagram page documents visits to other cities and showcases many of the bizarre and dark art pieces and items people can buy, as well as some attendees’ costumes.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Feb. 2025
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The pilot episode of The Baldwins, TLC’s new reality show about actor Alec Baldwin and his family, is one of the darkest and most bizarre hours of television to appear in recent memory.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Asking about frustrations in a broad, theoretical sense is too vague to elicit actionable insights.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The reference is vague and does not signal any specific American commitment to safeguarding Ukraine’s security.—
Andrew E. Kramer,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puzzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzling. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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