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.
  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.

Synonyms

Translations

Adjective

perplex (comparative more perplex, superlative most perplex)

  1. (obsolete) intricate; difficult
    • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica:
      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.

Noun

perplex (plural perplexes)

  1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for perplex in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913)

Further reading

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
  • Perplexität

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

From French perplexe, from Latin perplex.

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 Superlative2
Common singular perplex mer perplex mest perplex
Neuter singular perplext mer perplext mest perplext
Plural perplexa mer perplexa mest perplexa
Masculine plural3 perplexe mer perplexa mest perplexa
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 perplexe mer perplexe mest perplexe
All perplexa mer perplexa mest perplexa
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

References
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