Definition of puzzle

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< Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre

puzzlement >

puz·zle    (pzl) KEY  

VERB:
puz·zled , puz·zling , puz·zles
VERB:
tr.

1. To baffle or confuse mentally by presenting or being a difficult problem or matter.
2. To clarify or solve (something confusing) by reasoning or study: He puzzled out the significance of the statement.

VERB:
intr.

1. To be perplexed.
2. To ponder over a problem in an effort to solve or understand it.

NOUN:

1. Something, such as a game, toy, or problem, that requires ingenuity and often persistence in solving or assembling.
2. Something that baffles or confuses.
3. The condition of being perplexed; bewilderment.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Origin unknown

OTHER FORMS:
puzzler (Noun)

SYNONYMS:
puzzle , perplex , mystify , bewilder , confound

These verbs mean to cause bafflement or confusion. Puzzle suggests difficulty in solving or interpreting something: "The poor creature puzzled me once . . . by a question merely natural and innocent" (Daniel Defoe). Perplex stresses uncertainty or anxiety, as over reaching an understanding or finding a solution: a dilemma that perplexed the committee. Mystify implies defying comprehension by obscuring facts: symbolism that mystifies me. Bewilder emphasizes extreme mental confusion: "The old know what they want; the young are sad and bewildered" (Logan Pearsall Smith). To confound is to confuse and astonish: God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise (I Corinthians 1:27).

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