Meanings
plural perplexities
- countableuncountableThe state or quality of being perplexed.
There is no such thing as 'chance', which term only signifies the mind's perplexity in the face of events that spring from multiple causes.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 121Synonyms: puzzlement, bewilderment, confusion
- countableuncountableSomething that perplexes.
The Emperor, who was by then a focus of unresolvable perplexities, stood providing a strongly contrary appearance.
1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Canongate, published 2006, page 149 - countableuncountablecomputingA measure of the accuracy with which a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state or quality of being perplexed.
Origin
- Latinperplexitās
- Middle Frenchperplexité
- Middle Englishperplexite
- Englishperplexity
From Middle English perplexite, borrowed from Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitās, from perplexus (“entangled”). By surface analysis, perplex + -ity.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian обърканост, смущение
- обърканост (obărkanost)the state or quality of being perplexed
- смущение (smuštenie)the state or quality of being perplexed
Chinese Mandarin 困惑, 茫然
- 困惑 (kùnhuò)the state or quality of being perplexed
- 茫然 (mángrán)the state or quality of being perplexed
- 迷惘 (míwǎng)the state or quality of being perplexed
Dutch verwardheid, verwarring
- verwardheidthe state or quality of being perplexed
- verwarringthe state or quality of being perplexed
- verbijsteringthe state or quality of being perplexed
Finnish hämmennys, hämmentyneisyys
- hämmennysthe state or quality of being perplexed
- hämmentyneisyysthe state or quality of being perplexed
French perplexité
- perplexitéthe state or quality of being perplexed
German Perplexität
- Perplexitätthe state or quality of being perplexed
Greek σύγχυση
- σύγχυση (sýnchysi)the state or quality of being perplexed
Hebrew מבוכה
- מבוכה (mevukhá)the state or quality of being perplexed
Irish aincheas
- aincheasthe state or quality of being perplexed
Italian perplessità
- perplessitàthe state or quality of being perplexed
Japanese 困惑, 当惑
- 困惑 (konwaku)the state or quality of being perplexed
- 当惑 (tōwaku)the state or quality of being perplexed
Latin perplexitās
- perplexitāsthe state or quality of being perplexed
Māori rapeka, mangangatanga
- rapekathe state or quality of being perplexed
- mangangatangathe state or quality of being perplexed
- raumaharatangathe state or quality of being perplexed
Persian سرگشتگی
- سرگشتگی (sargaštegi)the state or quality of being perplexed
Polish ambaras
- ambarasthe state or quality of being perplexed
Romanian perplexitate
- perplexitatethe state or quality of being perplexed
Russian расте́рянность, замеша́тельство
- расте́рянность (rastérjannostʹ)the state or quality of being perplexed
- замеша́тельство (zamešátelʹstvo)the state or quality of being perplexed
Spanish perplejidad
- perplejidadthe state or quality of being perplexed
Turkish şaşkınlık, kararsızlık
- şaşkınlıkthe state or quality of being perplexed
- kararsızlıkthe state or quality of being perplexed
- çekimserlikthe state or quality of being perplexed
Cite this entry
perplexity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perplexity
“perplexity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perplexity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perplexity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perplexity.
Source: perplexity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.