perplex

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: pərplĕksʹ, IPA^(key): /pɚˈplɛks/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: pəplĕksʹ, IPA^(key): /pəˈplɛks/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛks

Verb

perplex (third-person singular simple present perplexes, present participle perplexing, simple past and past participle perplexed)

1. (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to 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:

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

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

     The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate,
     Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors;
     Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain,
     Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]

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.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto IX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

     All night no ruder air perplex
     ⁠Thy sliding keel, till Phosphor, bright
     ⁠As our pure love, thro’ early light
     Shall glimmer on the dewy decks.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

Related terms

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

Translations

to cause to feel baffled — see also baffle,‎ bewilder

Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obǎrkvam), смущавам (bg) (smuštavam) Chinese: Mandarin: 使困惑 Czech: zaskočit (cs) Finnish: hämmentää (fi), saattaa ymmälle, askarruttaa (fi) French: déconcerter (fr), troubler (fr), dérouter (fr) German: verwirren (de) Greek: μπερδεύω (el) (berdévo), σαστίζω (el) (sastízo) Italian: perplimere (it) (jocular), perplettere (rare), sconcertare (it), lasciare di stucco (literally “to cause [to become] of plaster”), allibire (it) Maori: whakahēhē Occitan: desconcertar, desmemoriar Portuguese: pasmar (pt), desconcertar (pt), vexar (pt) Russian: озадачивать (ru) (ozadačivatʹ), запутывать (ru) (zaputyvatʹ) Spanish: confundir (es), desconcertar (es), perplejizar Swedish: förvirra (sv)

Adjective

perplex (comparative more perplex, superlative most perplex)

1. (now rare) intricate; difficult
   • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC:

     How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is as perplex in the Theory, as either of the former.

   • 2007, Sean Brayton, “MTV's Jackass: Transgression, Abjection and the Economy of White Masculinity”, in Journal of Gender Studies, volume 16, page 58:

     Finally, I explore possible audience interpretations of the film and offer some alternative reading strategies of these highly perplex sketches.

Derived terms

• perplex number

Noun

perplex (plural perplexes)

1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

Further reading

• “perplex”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “perplex”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “perplex”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch perplex, borrowed from Middle French perplex.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛrˈplɛks/, /pərˈplɛks/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: per‧plex
• Rhymes: -ɛks

Adjective

perplex (comparative perplexer, superlative meest perplex or perplext)

1. perplexed, befuddled

   Synonym: stomverbaasd

Declension

Declension of perplex
uninflected	perplex
inflected	perplexe
comparative	perplexer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		perplex	perplexer	het perplext het perplexte
indefinite	m./f. sing.	perplexe	perplexere	perplexte
	n. sing.	perplex	perplexer	perplexte
	plural	perplexe	perplexere	perplexte
definite		perplexe	perplexere	perplexte
partitive		perplex	perplexers	—

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁˈplɛks/
• Rhymes: -ɛks
• Hyphenation: per‧plex

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

perplex (strong nominative masculine singular perplexer, comparative perplexer, superlative am perplexesten)

1. (colloquial, rarely attributive) confused, perplexed, puzzled

   Synonyms: verdutzt, verblüfft, verwirrt

Declension

Positive forms of perplex

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist perplex	sie ist perplex	es ist perplex	sie sind perplex
strong declension (without article)	nominative	perplexer	perplexe	perplexes	perplexe
	genitive	perplexen	perplexer	perplexen	perplexer
	dative	perplexem	perplexer	perplexem	perplexen
	accusative	perplexen	perplexe	perplexes	perplexe
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der perplexe	die perplexe	das perplexe	die perplexen
	genitive	des perplexen	der perplexen	des perplexen	der perplexen
	dative	dem perplexen	der perplexen	dem perplexen	den perplexen
	accusative	den perplexen	die perplexe	das perplexe	die perplexen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein perplexer	eine perplexe	ein perplexes	(keine) perplexen
	genitive	eines perplexen	einer perplexen	eines perplexen	(keiner) perplexen
	dative	einem perplexen	einer perplexen	einem perplexen	(keinen) perplexen
	accusative	einen perplexen	eine perplexe	ein perplexes	(keine) perplexen

Comparative forms of perplex

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist perplexer	sie ist perplexer	es ist perplexer	sie sind perplexer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	perplexerer	perplexere	perplexeres	perplexere
	genitive	perplexeren	perplexerer	perplexeren	perplexerer
	dative	perplexerem	perplexerer	perplexerem	perplexeren
	accusative	perplexeren	perplexere	perplexeres	perplexere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der perplexere	die perplexere	das perplexere	die perplexeren
	genitive	des perplexeren	der perplexeren	des perplexeren	der perplexeren
	dative	dem perplexeren	der perplexeren	dem perplexeren	den perplexeren
	accusative	den perplexeren	die perplexere	das perplexere	die perplexeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein perplexerer	eine perplexere	ein perplexeres	(keine) perplexeren
	genitive	eines perplexeren	einer perplexeren	eines perplexeren	(keiner) perplexeren
	dative	einem perplexeren	einer perplexeren	einem perplexeren	(keinen) perplexeren
	accusative	einen perplexeren	eine perplexere	ein perplexeres	(keine) perplexeren

Superlative forms of perplex

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am perplexesten	sie ist am perplexesten	es ist am perplexesten	sie sind am perplexesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	perplexester	perplexeste	perplexestes	perplexeste
	genitive	perplexesten	perplexester	perplexesten	perplexester
	dative	perplexestem	perplexester	perplexestem	perplexesten
	accusative	perplexesten	perplexeste	perplexestes	perplexeste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der perplexeste	die perplexeste	das perplexeste	die perplexesten
	genitive	des perplexesten	der perplexesten	des perplexesten	der perplexesten
	dative	dem perplexesten	der perplexesten	dem perplexesten	den perplexesten
	accusative	den perplexesten	die perplexeste	das perplexeste	die perplexesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein perplexester	eine perplexeste	ein perplexestes	(keine) perplexesten
	genitive	eines perplexesten	einer perplexesten	eines perplexesten	(keiner) perplexesten
	dative	einem perplexesten	einer perplexesten	einem perplexesten	(keinen) perplexesten
	accusative	einen perplexesten	eine perplexeste	ein perplexestes	(keine) perplexesten

Related terms

• Perplexität

Further reading

• “perplex” in Duden online
• “perplex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “perplex” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

Adjective

perplex m or n (feminine singular perplexă, masculine plural perplecși, feminine and neuter plural perplexe)

1. perplexed

Declension

Declension of perplex

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	perplex		perplexă		perplecși	perplexe
	definite	perplexul		perplexa		perplecșii	perplexele
genitive- dative	indefinite	perplex		perplexe		perplecși	perplexe
	definite	perplexului		perplexei		perplecșilor	perplexelor

Swedish

Adjective

perplex (comparative mer perplex, superlative mest perplex)

1. perplexed

Declension

Inflection of perplex

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	perplex	mer perplex	mest perplex
neuter singular	perplext	mer perplext	mest perplext
plural	perplexa	mer perplexa	mest perplexa
masculine plural2	perplexe	mer perplexa	mest perplexa
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	perplexe	mer perplexe	mest perplexe
all	perplexa	mer perplexa	mest perplexa

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

References

• perplex in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• perplex in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• perplex in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)