perplexity

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /pərˈplɛksɪti/ UK /pəˈpleksɪti/ See IPA manual

noun

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... confusion bewilderment puzzlement bafflement mystificationbefuddlement

Opposites

clarity understanding comprehension certainty

Word family

Related forms perplex perplexed perplexing

Etymology

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

# 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

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