What is another word for perplexing?

Need synonyms for perplexing? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Contexts ▼

Adjective

Confusing or puzzling

Having a covert or obscure meaning

Causing or feeling uneasy embarrassment or inconvenience

Tending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm

Open to discussion or argument

Deceptive or tending to mislead or create a false impression

Causing horror

Perverted

Noun

The state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something

Verb

The causing of amazement

Present participle for to confound or perplex someone

Present participle for to make something more complex

Present participle for to cause distress or anxiety to

Present participle for to cause anguish or distress to

… more ▼

Adjective

▲

Confusing or puzzling

difficult to understand

full of twists and turns

ravelled^UK

raveled^US

flakey^US

flaky^UK

impossible to separate

like nothing on earth

more ❯

“Instead, we are confronted with definitive declarations, even regarding the most perplexing of texts.”

Adjective

▲

Having a covert or obscure meaning

impossible to understand

difficult to understand

not easily understood

woolly^UK

wooly^US

gray^US

grey^UK

too hard to understand

double Dutch

too difficult to understand

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Causing or feeling uneasy embarrassment or inconvenience

dishonoring^US

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Tending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm

agonizing^US

agonising^UK

enough to try the patience of a saint

enough to drive you up the wall

humourless^UK

sombre^UK

unsavory^US

humorless^US

somber^US

unsavoury^UK

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Open to discussion or argument

a controversial subject

between sixes and sevens

between rock and hard place

gray^US

grey^UK

neither fish nor fowl

neither one thing nor the other

in a state of uncertainty

not backed up by evidence

on the horns of a dilemma

still open to question

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Deceptive or tending to mislead or create a false impression

phony^US

phoney^UK

economical with the truth

colored^US

coloured^UK

terminologically inexact

bearing false witness

to all intents and purposes

not backed up by evidence

not what it is cracked up to be

not entirely truthful

more ❯

Adjective

Causing horror

unfavorable^US

agonising^UK

sombre^UK

agonizing^US

somber^US

unsavory^US

unsavoury^UK

humourless^UK

humorless^US

grueling^US

gruelling^UK

gray^US

grey^UK

ill-favored^US

looking on the black side

with no chance of success

more ❯

Adjective

Perverted

more ❯

Noun

▲

The state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something

skepticism^US

scepticism^UK

lack of comprehension

state of bewilderment

state of disorientation

feverishness

fever

trancelike state

state of stupefaction

lack of understanding

state of perturbation

source of consternation

kick in the teeth

source of distress

a bolt out of the blue

source of amazement

a bolt from the blue

more ❯

Verb

▲

The causing of amazement

Verb

▲

Present participle for to confound or perplex someone

baulking^UK

balking^US

ravelling^UK

raveling^US

making someone scratch their head

muddying the waters

snarling up

causing to be at a stand

setting someone thinking

bedevilling^UK

bedeviling^US

jolting

piquing

paralysing^UK

paralyzing^US

peeving

chagrining

stopping someone in their tracks

putting someone off their stroke

agonizing^US

agonising^UK

terrorizing^US

messing with one's head

putting out of countenance

terrorising^UK

setting someone back on their heels

putting someone off their stride

tantalising^UK

tantalizing^US

hacking off

hurting someone's feelings

pulling the rug from under

making fretful

putting into a flap

breathing down someone's neck

taking someone's breath away

distracting from

giving someone a hard time

pulling the rug out from under

galvanizing^US

putting someone off his stride

bringing someone up short

filling with amazement

galvanising^UK

causing to lose your bearings

knocking the stuffing out of

hitting like a ton of bricks

taking one's breath away

taking the wind out of your sails

rendering speechless

throwing a curve

causing wonder

springing something on

striking with awe

putting the wind up someone

throwing into a tizzy

lousing up

filling with consternation

giving someone a turn

knocking one's socks off

blowing one away

making self-conscious

putting off his or her stride

taking the wind out of someone's sails

upsetting apple cart

garbling

catching somebody unawares

catching somebody off balance

causing someone to lose their composure

knocking the stuffing out of someone

boggling someone's mind

bending someone's ear

getting on your wick

carping at

rubbing up the wrong way

getting on your nerves

making more difficult

rendering uncertain

making difficult

throwing into confusion

throwing into disorder

driving round the bend

driving round the twist

scaring someone out of their wits

making your hair stand on end

throwing into a panic

putting the wind up

scaring the living daylights out of

scaring the bejesus out of

scaring the pants off

frightening the living daylights out of

chilling off

throwing into a blue funk

pushing the buttons of

rubbing the wrong way

put somebody's nose out of joint

giving someone the hump

getting on somebody's nerves

making someone see red

hurting somebody's feelings

giving someone the pip

causing anxiety to

giving a turn

rubbing you up the wrong way

causing anxiety

throwing into disarray

egging on

getting under one's skin

turning on

ruffling one's feathers

getting on one's nerves

pouring cold water on

throwing cold water on

getting on someone's wick

setting someone's teeth on edge

pushing one's buttons

getting in one's hair

pushing someone's buttons

making someone's hair stand on end

getting someone's goat

putting someone's back up

giving offence

putting someone's nose out of joint

treading on someone's toes

tyrannizing^US

going out of one's way

going to the trouble of

getting your hackles up

raising your hackles

driving bananas

winding somebody up

driving you up the wall

getting your dander up

getting under skin

getting under your skin

driving to distraction

dishonoring^US

putting someone to shame

taking the wind out

making someone eat humble pie

getting one's comeuppance

tyrannising^UK

giving someone goose pimples

making one's flesh creep

putting the fear of God into

making someone jump out of their skin

chilling to the bone

making teeth chatter

making your blood run cold

giving one the creeps

chilling someone to the marrow

giving someone the heebie-jeebies

making blood run cold

throwing into a fright

scaring someone half to death

putting your nose out of joint

throwing a spanner in the works of

upsetting the apple cart

playing havoc with

throwing a monkey wrench in the works of

slowing down

more ❯

“They were perplexing a subject plain in itself.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to make something more complex

Verb

▲

Present participle for to cause distress or anxiety to

Verb

▲

Present participle for to cause anguish or distress to

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What is another word for perplexing?

Need synonyms for perplexing? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

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