Adjacent Words

Puzzle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PUZ'ZLE, v.t. [from the root of pose, which see.]
1. To perplex; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to gravel.
A shrewd disputant in those points, is dexterous in puzzling others.
He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders.
2. To make intricate; to entangle.
The ways of heaven are dark and intricate,
Puzzl'd in mazes and perplex'd with error.
PUZ'ZLE, v.i. To be bewildered; to be awkward.
PUZ'ZLE, n. Perplexity; embarrassment.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution; "he loved to solve chessmate puzzles"; "that's a real puzzler" [syn: puzzle, puzzler, mystifier, teaser]
2: a game that tests your ingenuity v
1: be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me-- I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me" [syn: perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound]
2: be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide; "We puzzled over her sudden departure"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (puzzled; puzzling) Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1582 transitive verb 1. to offer or represent to (as a person) a problem difficult to solve or a situation difficult to resolve ; challenge mentally; also to exert (as oneself) over such a problem or situation <they puzzled their wits to find a solution> 2. archaic complicate, entangle 3. to solve with difficulty or ingenuity <puzzle out an answer to a riddle> intransitive verb 1. to be uncertain as to action or choice 2. to attempt a solution of a puzzle by guesswork or experiment <puzzle over the mystery> • puzzler noun Synonyms: puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally. puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve <the persistent fever puzzled the doctor>. perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision <a behavior that perplexed her friends>. bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking <a bewildering number of possibilities>. distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests <distracted by personal problems>. nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible <the remark left us utterly nonplussed>. confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement <the tragic news confounded us all>. dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound <was at first too dumbfounded to reply>. II. noun Date: circa 1612 1. the state of being puzzled ; perplexity 2. a. something that puzzles b. a question, problem, or contrivance designed for testing ingenuity Synonyms: see mystery

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a difficult or confusing problem; an enigma. 2 a problem or toy designed to test knowledge or ingenuity. --v. 1 tr. confound or disconcert mentally. 2 intr. (usu. foll. by over etc.) be perplexed (about). 3 tr. (usu. as puzzling adj.) require much thought to comprehend (a puzzling situation). 4 tr. (foll. by out) solve or understand by hard thought. Derivatives: puzzlement n. puzzlingly adv. Etymology: 16th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Puzzle Puz"zle, n. [For opposal, in the sense of problem. See Oppose, Pose, v.] 1. Something which perplexes or embarrasses; especially, a toy or a problem contrived for testing ingenuity; also, something exhibiting marvelous skill in making. 2. The state of being puzzled; perplexity; as, to be in a puzzle.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Puzzle Puz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Puzzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Puzzling.] 1. To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus. A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others. --Dr. H. More. He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders. --Addison. 2. To make intricate; to entangle. They disentangle from the puzzled skein. --Cowper. The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error. --Addison. 3. To solve by ingenuity, as a puzzle; -- followed by out; as, to puzzle out a mystery. Syn: To embarrass; perplex; confuse; bewilder; confound. See Embarrass.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Puzzle Puz"zle, v. i. 1. To be bewildered, or perplexed. A puzzling fool, that heeds nothing. --L'Estrange. 2. To work, as at a puzzle; as, to puzzle over a problem.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(puzzles) 1. If something puzzles you, you do not understand it and feel confused. My sister puzzles me and causes me anxiety. VERB: V n • puzzling His letter poses a number of puzzling questions. ADJ 2. If you puzzle over something, you try hard to think of the answer to it or the explanation for it. In rehearsing Shakespeare, I puzzle over the complexities of his verse and prose. VERB: V over/about n 3. A puzzle is a question, game, or toy which you have to think about carefully in order to answer it correctly or put it together properly. ...a word puzzle. N-COUNT: oft supp N see also crossword 4. You can describe a person or thing that is hard to understand as a puzzle. Data from Voyager II has presented astronomers with a puzzle about why our outermost planet exists... = mystery N-SING: a N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Perplex, embarrass, bewilder, confound, stagger, pose, nonplus, confuse, mystify, gravel. 2. Make intricate, entangle, complicate. II. n. 1. Riddle, enigma, labyrinth, maze. 2. Perplexity, embarrassment, bewilderment, confusion, dark problem, difficulty, poser, knotty point, quandary, nonplus.

Moby Thesaurus

Chinese puzzle, Gordian knot, addle, ail, amaze, apply the mind, baffle, bafflement, baffling problem, bamboozle, be the matter, beat, befog, befuddle, beset, bewilder, bewilderment, boggle, bother, brain twister, brain-teaser, buffalo, cap, complicate matters, concern, confound, confoundment, confuse, confusion, consider, contemplate, conundrum, crossword puzzle, crux, dark horse, daze, decipher, dilemma, discommode, discomposure, disconcert, disconcertedness, disconcertion, disconcertment, distract, distress, disturb, disturbance, dumbfound, embarrassment, enigma, enigmatic question, figure out, fix, flabbergast, floor, floorer, flummox, foil, frontier, frontiers of knowledge, frustrate, fuddle, get, hammer at, hammer away at, harass, inconvenience, irk, jam, jigsaw puzzle, keep in suspense, knot, knotty point, lick, matter of ignorance, maze, mind-boggler, muddle, mull over, muse on, muse over, mystery, mystification, mystify, n, node, nodus, nonplus, nut to crack, oxymoron, paradox, perplex, perplexed question, perplexity, perturb, perturbation, pickle, plague, plight, ponder over, pons asinorum, pose, poser, pother, predicament, problem, put out, put to it, puzzle out, puzzle over, puzzlement, puzzler, quandary, question, question mark, reflect over, riddle, scrape, sealed book, sixty-four dollar question, solve, sort out, stew, stew over, stick, sticker, study, stumble, stump, stumper, stymie, teaser, terra incognita, the incalculable, the strange, the unfamiliar, the unknowable, the unknown, think hard, think through, throw, torment, tough proposition, trouble, unassuredness, unexplored ground, unexplored territory, unknown quantity, unlock, unravel, upset, vex, vexed question, why, work out, worry, x, z