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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Perplex Definition, Examples, and Usage Guide (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：confuse greatly (perplex)

perplex 🔊

/pərˈpleks/

vt.

To make someone feel very confused and unsure because something is hard to understand.

Student perplexed by complex textbook diagram

confuse greatly 🔊

➕

/kənˈfjuːz ˈɡreɪtli/

vt.

To cause someone to feel completely confused or baffled, as if they cannot understand or solve something.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

per- (thoroughly) + plexus (entangled), from Latin 'plectere' (to plait).

💡 Mnemonic

Perplex: think 'per' (thoroughly) + 'plex' (braid) – a thoroughly braided puzzle that confuses you.

📖 Example

The new math problem completely perplexed the student, and he had no idea where to even begin. 🔊 The new math problem completely perplexed the student, and he had no idea where to even begin.

🔗 Collocations

perplex someone – to cause someone to feel confused

be perplexed by something – to be confused by something

a perplexing question – a question that is difficult to understand

🔄 Synonyms

baffle (v.) – to completely confuse someone, so they cannot understand or explain something

mystify (v.) – to make someone feel puzzled or confused by being strange or difficult to understand

puzzle (v.) – to make someone feel confused because they cannot understand something

🚫 Antonyms

enlighten (v.) – to give someone knowledge or understanding about something, so they are no longer confused

clarify (v.) – to make something clear and easy to understand, removing confusion

simplify (v.) – to make something less complex or easier to understand

🌱 Derivatives

perplexed (adj.) – feeling or showing confusion and lack of understanding

perplexing (adj.) – causing confusion and difficulty to understand

perplexity (n.) – a state of being confused or puzzled

📖 Cultural Story

From Latin 'perplexus' (entangled), from 'per-' (thoroughly) + 'plectere' (to plait). The word evolved to describe mental confusion akin to being tangled in a knot.

Meaning 2：complicate matters (perplex)

perplex 🔊

/pərˈpleks/

vt.

To make a situation, issue, or matter more complicated and difficult to deal with.

Hands perplexed by tangled headphone cables

complicate matters 🔊

➕

/ˈkɒmplɪkeɪt ˈmætəz/

vt.

To make a situation, problem, or issue more complex and difficult to resolve or understand.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The addition of several new software updates only served to perplex the original problem with my phone's battery life. 🔊 The addition of several new software updates only served to perplex the original problem with my phone's battery life.

🔗 Collocations

perplex the issue – to make an issue more complicated and harder to solve

perplex a problem – to make a problem more intricate and confusing

be perplexed by a situation – to be confused because a situation has become more complex

🔄 Synonyms

complicate (v.) – to make something more difficult or complex to deal with

entangle (v.) – to involve someone or something in a complicated situation that is difficult to escape

confuse (v.) – to make a situation unclear or more difficult to understand