'puzzling' definitions:
Definition of 'puzzling'
From: WordNet
adjective
Not clear to the understanding; "I didn't grasp the meaning of that enigmatic comment until much later"; "prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries" [syn: enigmatic, enigmatical, puzzling]
adjective
Lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity; "sent confusing signals to Iraq"; "perplexing to someone who knew nothing about it"; "a puzzling statement" [syn: confusing, perplexing, puzzling]
Definition of 'puzzling'
From: GCIDE
- puzzle \puz"zle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. puzzled (p[u^]z"z'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. puzzling (p[u^]z"zl[i^]ng).]
- 1. To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus. [1913 Webster]
- A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others. --Dr. H. More. [1913 Webster]
- He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To make intricate; to entangle. [1913 Webster]
- They disentangle from the puzzled skein. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]
- The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
- 3. To solve by ingenuity, as a puzzle; -- followed by out; as, to puzzle out a mystery. [1913 Webster]
- Syn: To embarrass; perplex; confuse; bewilder; confound. See Embarrass. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'puzzling'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- able,
- abstruse,
- ambiguous,
- baffling,
- beguiling,
- bewildering,
- bothering,
- confounding,
- confusing,
- contradictory,
- cryptic,
- discomposing,
- disconcerting,
- dismaying,
- distracting,
- disturbing,
- embarrassing,
- enigmatic,
- enigmatical,
- exceptional,
- extraordinary,
- fabulous,
- fantastic,
- fascinating,
- incalculable,
- incognizable,
- incomprehensible,
- inconceivable,
- incredible,
- intricate,
- marvelous,
- miraculous,
- mysterious,
- mystifying,
- outlandish,
- passing strange,
- perplexing,
- perturbing,
- phenomenal,
- problematic,
- prodigious,
- rare,
- remarkable,
- riddling,
- sealed,
- sensational,
- sphinxlike,
- strange,
- striking,
- stupendous,
- unapparent,
- unapprehended,
- unascertained,
- unbeknown,
- uncharted,
- unclassified,
- undisclosed,
- undiscoverable,
- undiscovered,
- undivulged,
- unexplained,
- unexplored,
- unexposed,
- unfamiliar,
- unfathomed,
- unheard,
- unheard-of,
- unidentified,
- unimaginable,
- uninvestigated,
- unique,
- unknowable,
- unknown,
- unperceived,
- unplumbed,
- unprecedented,
- unrevealed,
- unsuspected,
- untouched,
- upsetting,
- virgin,
- wonderful,
- wondrous