From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishperplexper‧plex /pəˈpleks $ pər-/ verb [transitive] WORRIEDif something perplexes you, it makes you feel confused and worried because it is difficult to understand SYN puzzle Shea’s symptoms perplexed the doctors. —perplexing adjective a perplexing problem→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
perplex• For a moment he just stared at me, looking rather perplexed.• The dream is brief but perplexing.• The Judge, accustomed to hearing unconventional job descriptions, none the less appeared perplexed.• Solly's climb was to perplex and stretch the best climbers for decades.• She seemed perplexed by the question.• In a school gymnasium full of caucus-goers in Des Moines, Dole inadvertently coined the best phrase of this perplexing campaign.• She didn't smile and this perplexed me because I knew she liked our Mary.• What surprised and perplexed me was how authentic, and therefore how riveting, it turned out to be.• The question of how the murderer had gained entry to the house perplexed the police for several weeks.Origin perplex (1500-1600) perplex “perplexed” ((14-17 centuries)), from Latin perplexus, from plexus “twisted together” 