perplexity C2+ Topic:Law & Government US /pərˈplɛksɪti/ UK /pəˈpleksɪti/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the state of being puzzled or confused She stared at the diagram in growing perplexity. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the state of being puzzled... confusionbewildermentpuzzlementbafflementmystificationbefuddlement ↔ Opposites clarityunderstandingcomprehensioncertainty Word family Related forms perplexperplexedperplexing Etymology AI details From Old French perplexite, from Late Latin perplexitas, from Latin perplexus ('entangled, confused'), from per- ('thoroughly') + plectere ('to plait, twist'). perplexus Latin plectere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # perplexity **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /pərˈplɛksɪti/ **IPA (UK):** /pəˈpleksɪti/ ## Meanings 1. the state of being puzzled or confused ## Examples - She stared at the diagram in growing perplexity. ## Synonyms - confusion - bewilderment - puzzlement - bafflement - mystification - befuddlement ## Antonyms - clarity - understanding - comprehension - certainty ## Related Forms - perplex - perplexed - perplexing ## Roots and Affixes - Root: perplexus - Root: plectere ## Etymology From Old French perplexite, from Late Latin perplexitas, from Latin perplexus ('entangled, confused'), from per- ('thoroughly') + plectere ('to plait, twist'). ## AI Etymology Perplexity is from Old French perplexite, from Late Latin perplexitas, from Latin perplexus ('entangled, confused'), from per- ('thoroughly') + plectere ('to plait, twist'). Important recorded forms include perplexus (Latin) and plectere (Latin). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. The modern sense remains close to that composition, with the parts narrowing into a single lexical item. In current use it covers the state of being puzzled or confused. The wider family includes related words such as perplex, perplexed, and perplexing. ## Topics - Law & Government - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown