Synonyms for puzzle
- verb
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Perplex — to cause (oneself or someone, or their mind, etc.) to feel confused or mystified because they cannot…
perplex, bewilder, maze, mystify, baffle, confound, confuse, vex, get, non-plus, throw, muddle, beat, befuddle, bamboozle informal, flummox, dumbfound, stump informal, amaze, entangle, gravel, ravel
Other
Noun
1. Conundrum — A thing such as a complicated matter or a problem which is difficult to make sense of or understand; also, a…
conundrum, mystery, riddle, problem, enigma, crux, paradox, question mark, quandary, anyone's guess, anybody's guess
2. Perplexity — the state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem…
perplexity, confusion, bewilderment, bafflement, embarrassment
4. Poser — often preceded by a descriptive word, a game or toy, or a problem, requiring some effort to complete or work…
poser UK, brainteaser informal
Other
rebus, sticker, puzzle-peg dated
Definitions
- v. 1
To cause (oneself or someone, or their mind, etc.) to feel confused or mystified because they cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; to confuse, to mystify, to perplex.
- n. 1
The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in in a puzzle: an instance of this.
- n. 2
A thing such as a complicated matter or a problem which is difficult to make sense of or understand; also, a person who is difficult to make sense of or understand; an enigma.
Where he went after he left the house is a puzzle.
- n. 3
Often preceded by a descriptive word: a game or toy, or a problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one's mental ability.
crossword puzzle jigsaw puzzle
Related words
Example sentences
- maze The centipede navigated the maze of fallen leaves.
- dumbfound Tomorrow, you'll hear news that is going to dumbfound you.
- obfuscate Everyone seems to love to obfuscate the Holocaust.
By length
- 3 letters
- get1, vex1
- 4 letters
- beat1, maze1, crux1
- 5 letters
- throw1, stump1, amaze2, ravel2, poser2, rebus2
- 6 letters
- gravel2, teaser2, riddle2, enigma3, muddle2, baffle2
- 7 letters
- problem2, mystery3, confuse2, sticker2, paradox3, puzzler2, perplex2, mystify3, flummox2
- 8 letters
- confound2, quandary3, entangle3, bewilder3, befuddle3
- 9 letters
- confusion3, conundrum3, obfuscate3, bamboozle, dumbfound2, mystifier
- 10 letters
- perplexity4, bafflement
- 11 letters
- brainteaser
- 12 letters
- bewilderment4
- 13 letters
- embarrassment4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (amaze2 = 2 syllables).