English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English perplexite, borrowed from Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitās, from perplexus (entangled). By surface analysis, perplex +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

perplexity (countable and uncountable, plural perplexities)

  1. The state or quality of being perplexed.
    Synonyms: puzzlement, bewilderment, confusion
  2. Something that perplexes.
    • 1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Canongate, published 2006, page 149:
      The Emperor, who was by then a focus of unresolvable perplexities, stood providing a strongly contrary appearance.
  3. (information theory) A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.

Translations edit