perplex

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: per=plex

CIDE DICTIONARY

perplex, v. t. [L. perplexari. See Perplex, a.].

•  To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated, and difficult to be unraveled or understood; as, to perplex one with doubts.  [1913 Webster]

  "No artful wildness to perplex the scene."  [1913 Webster]

  "What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view."  [1913 Webster]
•  To embarrass; to puzzle; to distract; to bewilder; to confuse; to trouble with ambiguity, suspense, or anxiety.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "We are perplexed, but not in despair."  [1913 Webster]

  "We can distinguish no general truths, or at least shall be apt to perplex the mind."  [1913 Webster]
•  To plague; to vex; to tormen.  Glanvill.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To entangle; involve; complicate; embarrass; puzzle; bewilder; confuse; distract. See Embarrass.

perplex, a. [L. perplexus entangled, intricate; per + plectere, plexum, to plait, braid: cf. F. perplexe. See Per-, and Plait.].

 Intricate; difficult.  Glanvill.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

perplex, v.tr.
1 puzzle, bewilder, or disconcert (a person, a person's mind, etc.).
2 complicate or confuse (a matter).
3 (as perplexed adj.) archaic entangled, intertwined.

Derivative

perplexedly adv. perplexingly adv.

Etymology

back-form. f. perplexed f. obs. perplex (adj.) f. OF perplexe or L perplexus (as PER-, plexus past part. of plectere plait)

THESAURUS

perplex

addle, addle the wits, ail, amaze, appanage, astonish, astound, awe, awestrike, babble, baffle, balk, ball up, bamboozle, be Greek to, be beyond one, be incredible, be the matter, be too deep, be unbelievable, beat, beat one, becloud, bedaze, bedazzle, befog, befuddle, beset, bewilder, birthright, blast, boggle, bother, bowl down, bowl over, brave, buffalo, bug, cap, challenge, checkmate, circumvent, cloud, complicate, complicate matters, concern, confound, confront, confuse, contravene, counter, counteract, countermand, counterwork, cross, dash, daze, dazzle, defeat, defy, destroy, discombobulate, discomfit, discommode, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, dish, disorganize, disorient, disrupt, distract, distress, disturb, dumbfound, dumbfounder, elude, embarrass, embrangle, ensnarl, entangle, escape one, fill with doubt, flabbergast, floor, flummox, flurry, fluster, flutter, fog, foil, foul up, frustrate, fuddle, fuss, get, gibber, harass, implicate, inconvenience, involve, irk, keep in suspense, knock the chocks, knot, lagniappe, largess, lick, lose one, louse up, maze, mess up, mist, mix up, moider, muck, muck up, muddle, mystify, need explanation, nonplus, not make sense, not penetrate, overwhelm, palm oil, paralyze, pass belief, pass comprehension, perks, perquisite, perturb, petrify, plague, pose, pother, pourboire, prerogative, privilege, put out, put to it, puzzle, raise hell, ramify, rattle, ravel, riddle, ruffle, ruin, sabotage, scotch, screw up, snarl, snarl up, speak in tongues, spike, spoil, stagger, startle, stick, stonewall, strike dead, strike dumb, strike with wonder, stumble, stump, stun, stupefy, stymie, surprise, talk double Dutch, tangle, throw, throw into confusion, thwart, tip, torment, trouble, unsettle, upset, vex, worry

ROGET THESAURUS

perplex

Derangement

VB derange, disarrange, misarrange, displace, misplace, mislay, discompose, disorder, deorganize, discombobulate, disorganize, embroil, unsettle, disturb, confuse, trouble, perturb, jumble, tumble, shuffle, randomize, huddle, muddle, toss, hustle, fumble, riot, bring into disorder, put into disorder, throw into disorder, muss, break the ranks, disconcert, convulse, break in upon, unhinge, dislocate, put out of joint, throw out of gear, turn topsy-turvy, bedevil, complicate, involve, perplex, confound, imbrangle, embrangle, tangle, entangle, ravel, tousle, towzle, dishevel, ruffle, rumple, litter, scatter, mix, rearrange.

Difficulty

VB be difficult, run one hard, go against the grain, try one's patience, put one out, put to one's shifts, put to one's wit's end, go hard with one, try one, pose, perplex, bother, nonplus, gravel, bring to a deadlock, be impossible, be in the way of, meet with difficulties, labor under difficulties, get into difficulties, plunge into difficulties, struggle with difficulties, contend with difficulties, grapple with difficulties, labor under a disadvantage, be in difficulty, fish in troubled waters, buffet the waves, swim against the stream, scud under bare poles, Have much ado with, have a hard time of it, come to the push, come to the pinch, bear the brunt, grope in the dark, lose one's way, weave a tangled web, walk among eggs, get into a scrape, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears, be put to one's shifts, flounder, boggle, struggle, not know which way to turn, perdre son Latin, stick at, stick in the mud, stick fast, come to a stand, come to a standstill, come to a deadlock, hold the wolf by the ears, hold the tiger by the tail, render difficult, enmesh, encumber, embarrass, ravel, entangle, put a spoke in the wheel, lead a pretty dance.

Painfulness

VB cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain, pain, hurt, wound, pinch, prick, gripe, pierce, lancinate, cut, hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings, wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart, make the heart bleed, tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings, draw tears from the eyes, sadden, make unhappy, plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash, afflict, distress, cut up, cut to the heart, displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet, faze, feaze, feeze, disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune, wring, harrow, torment, torture, bullyrag, put to the rack, put to the question, break on the wheel, rack, scarify, cruciate, crucify, convulse, agonize, barb the dart, plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side, irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall, sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick, aggrieve, affront, enchafe, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper, give offense, maltreat, bite, snap at, assail, smite, sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils, go against the stomach, turn the stomach, make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear, stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal, appall, freeze the blood, make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end, make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold, make one shudder, haunt the memory, weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits, bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, add a nail to one's coffin.

Inattention

VB be inattentive, overlook, disregard, pass by, not observe, think little of, close one's eyes to, shut one's eyes to, pay no attention to, dismiss from one's thoughts, discard from one's thoughts, discharge from one's thoughts, dismiss from one's mind, discard from one's mind, discharge from one's mind, drop the subject, think no more of, set aside, turn aside, put aside, turn away from, turn one's attention from, turn a deaf ear to, turn one's back upon, abstract oneself, dream, indulge in reverie, escape notice, escape attention, come in at one ear and go out at the other, forget, call off the attention, draw off the attention, call away the attention, divert the attention, distract the mind, put out of one's head, disconcert, discompose, put out, confuse, perplex, bewilder, moider, fluster, muddle, dazzle, throw a sop to Cerberus.

Uncertainty

VB be uncertain, wonder whether, lose the clue, lose the clew, scent, miss one's way, not know what to make of, not know which way to turn, not know whether one stands on one s head or one's, float in a sea of doubt, hesitate, flounder, lose oneself, lose one's head, muddle one's brains, render uncertain, put out, pose, puzzle, perplex, embarrass, confuse, confound, bewilder, bother, molder, addle the wits, throw off the scent, ambiguas in vulgus spargere voces, keep in suspense, doubt, hang in the balance, tremble in the balance, depend.

Unintelligibility

VB be unintelligible, require explanation, have a doubtful meaning, pass comprehension, render unintelligible, conceal, darken, confuse, perplex, not understand, lose, lose the clue, miss, not know what to make of, be able to make nothing of, give it up, not be able to account for, not be able to make either head or tail of, be at sea, wonder, see through a glass darkly, not understand one another, play at cross purposes.