Meaning
Perplex means to confuse or puzzle someone, making them uncertain about what to think or do. It often implies that the situation or problem is difficult to understand or solve.
Grammar and Usage
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Part of speech: Verb (transitive)
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Pattern:
- perplex + object
- be perplexed by/at/about something (passive form is common)
Examples of sentence structure:
- "This issue perplexes many experts."
- "She was perplexed by his sudden reaction."
Common Phrases
- be perplexed by something
- be perplexed about what to do
- a perplexing question
- perplex the mind
Collocations
- Adjectives + perplex: deeply perplex, utterly perplex
- Nouns + perplex: problem perplexes, situation perplexes, riddle perplexes
- Perplex + nouns: perplex a student, perplex an audience
Examples
- The difficult math problem perplexed all the students.
- He was perplexed by the strange instructions.
- The mystery continues to perplex scientists.
- She looked perplexed when she saw the results.
- The unexpected question perplexed the speaker.
- Their behavior perplexed me completely.
- A perplexing puzzle kept the children busy for hours.
- I was perplexed about what decision to make.
Synonyms or Related
- confuse
- baffle
- puzzle
- bewilder
- mystify
Antonym
- clarify
- explain
- enlighten
- simplify
