• (GA) enPR: pərplĕksʹ, IPA: /pɚˈplɛks/
• (RP) enPR: pəplĕksʹ, IPA: /pəˈplɛks/

perplex (perplexes, present participle perplexing; past and past participle perplexed)

1. (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle#Verb|puzzle.
2. (transitive) To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
   • a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, OCLC 6963663 ↗:

     What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To plague; to vex; to torment.
   • 1726, George Granville, Chloe

     Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her.

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

• perplexable
• perplexation
• perplexed
• perplexedness
• perplexing
• perplexity
• perplexment

• German: verwirren
• Portuguese: pasmar, desconcertar, vexar
• Russian: озадачивать
• Spanish: confundir, desconcertar

perplex

1. (obsolete) intricate; difficult

   • How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is perplex in the theory.

perplex (plural perplexes)

1. (obsolete) A difficulty.