Meanings
present singular third person perplexes · participle present perplexing · participle past perplexed · past perplexed
- transitiveTo involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view.
a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC1 more example
The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate, Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors; Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain, Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]
1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2 - obsoletetransitiveTo plague; to vex; to torment.
Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her.
1726, George Granville, Chloe1 more example
All night no ruder air perplex Thy sliding keel, till Phosphor, bright As our pure love, thro’ early light Shall glimmer on the dewy decks.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto IX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC
comparative more perplex · superlative most perplex
- archaicintricate; difficult
Finally, I explore possible audience interpretations of the film and offer some alternative reading strategies of these highly perplex sketches.
2007, Sean Brayton, “MTV's Jackass: Transgression, Abjection and the Economy of White Masculinity”, in Journal of Gender Studies, volume 16, page 581 more example
How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is as perplex in the Theory, as either of the former.
1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbbe a mystery or bewildering to
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian обърквам, смущавам
- обърквам (obărkvam)to cause to feel baffled
- смущавам (smuštavam)to cause to feel baffled
Chinese Mandarin 使困惑
- 使困惑to cause to feel baffled
Czech zaskočit
- zaskočitto cause to feel baffled
Esperanto perpleksigi
- perpleksigito cause to feel baffled
Finnish hämmentää, saattaa ymmälle
- hämmentääto cause to feel baffled
- saattaa ymmälleto cause to feel baffled
- askarruttaato cause to feel baffled
French déconcerter, troubler
- déconcerterto cause to feel baffled
- troublerto cause to feel baffled
- dérouterto cause to feel baffled
German verwirren
- verwirrento cause to feel baffled
Greek μπερδεύω, σαστίζω
- μπερδεύω (berdévo)to cause to feel baffled
- σαστίζω (sastízo)to cause to feel baffled
Italian perplimere, perplettere
- perplimereto cause to feel baffled
- perplettereto cause to feel baffled
- sconcertareto cause to feel baffled
- lasciare di stuccoto cause to feel baffled
- allibireto cause to feel baffled
Māori whakahēhē, whakapōkaikaha
- whakahēhēto cause to feel baffled
- whakapōkaikahato cause to feel baffled
Portuguese pasmar, desconcertar
- pasmarto cause to feel baffled
- desconcertarto cause to feel baffled
- vexarto cause to feel baffled
Russian озадачивать, запутывать
- озадачивать (ozadačivatʹ)to cause to feel baffled
- запутывать (zaputyvatʹ)to cause to feel baffled
Spanish perplejizar, dejar perplejo
- perplejizarto cause to feel baffled
- dejar perplejoto cause to feel baffled
Swedish förvirra
- förvirrato cause to feel baffled
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with perplex
All rhymes →Cite this entry
perplex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perplex
“perplex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perplex. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perplex,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perplex.
Source: perplex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.