pə(r)ˈpleks transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: obsolete English perplex, adjective, perplexed, involved, from Latin perplexus, from per- thoroughly + plexus involved, from past participle of plectere to plait, braid, interweave — more at per- , ply
1. : to disturb mentally especially so as to make impossible clear or decisive thinking on the matter at hand : fill with doubt, uncertainty, or confusion : bewilder , nonplus
perplexed by many cares
such contradictions perplex the historian
questions that have perplexed men since time began — C.F.Strubbe
2.
a. : to make intricate, involved, or difficult to understand : complicate , confuse
no attempts at wit obscure or perplex his matter — Earl of Chesterfield
b. : interweave , entangle
brambles … perplexed and interwoven with one another — Joseph Addison
3. obsolete : plague , vex , torment
Synonyms: see puzzle