How to Use puzzlement in a Sentence

puzzlement

noun
Definition of puzzlementnext
Synonyms for puzzlementnext
  • The cause of the accident has been a source of puzzlement.
  • The explanation only increased their puzzlement.
  • Although missing Bertha’s Kitchen and the Glass Onion in the same town is a puzzlement.
    — Kathleen Purvis, charlotteobserver, 12 Feb. 2018
  • His wife likewise stared at me with a mix of puzzlement and shock on her face.
    — Douglas G. Adler, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2019
  • There is also some puzzlement about where the book ends.
    — Richard Aldous, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020
  • That’s where the Bears’ master plan for Fields creates a sense of puzzlement for the masses.
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 17 Sep. 2021
  • Along with this hope went a sense of genuine puzzlement.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2021
  • For lovers of his work, such puzzlement appears to be part of his appeal.
    — James Walton, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020
  • While President Trump has tried to connect the fires to a lack of water in the state, the response from the state has been one of puzzlement.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2018
  • And that makes the joy of the high notes merely a fleeting moment, followed by a more lasting sense of puzzlement.
    — Steven Oxman, Variety, 18 Nov. 2021
  • And in this world, women are shown to be subservient to men, much to the puzzlement of Barbie and the pleased astonishment of Ken.
    — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
  • Inevitably more Daniel Cleavers followed, and each time I was left in a sort of stunned puzzlement at the way men behaved toward me.
    — Plum Sykes, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2024
  • Among Chelsea’s peers and rivals, the reaction to the club’s spending spree on players has been one of puzzlement.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Fraser soon faded from prominence to the puzzlement of some fans.
    — Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2022
  • The Milwaukee Bucks were up 2-0 a mere 43 seconds into the game and Kyrie Irving looked over at his bench in puzzlement.
    — Jim Owczarski, USA TODAY, 6 June 2021
  • At that point, I had been moved to a private hospital, and my journal was full of puzzlement about what had happened.
    — New York Times, 31 Aug. 2019
  • The giant flag has been a thorn in the side of local officials and a source of puzzlement and anger to many residents and visitors.
    — Tamara Lush, OrlandoSentinel.com, 18 Aug. 2017
  • That statement, which very likely caused puzzlement for all but the most deluded of Mets fans, might just turn out to be correct.
    — New York Times, 12 Aug. 2019
  • For them, Ningxia’s emergence as the Bordeaux of the East was a cause for excitement but also puzzlement.
    — Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2013
  • The lack of engagement by Johnson’s team on the core issues has led to puzzlement about his strategy.
    — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
  • The guns of the Irish Civil War can be heard in the distance, creating puzzlement among the residents of Inisherin.
    — Kyle Smith, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2022
  • The immediate reaction was one of puzzlement in why the No.
    — Mick McCabe, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2020
  • He was raised there, went to college at San Jose State University to study computer science, then dropped out and—to the puzzlement of some friends—came home.
    — Vauhini Vara, Fortune, 7 Jan. 2018
  • And to causing progressives to furrow their brows in puzzlement.
    — George F. Will, The Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2017
  • These questions have led me, for more than half a century and well into the 21st, to contemplate an aging puzzlement.
    — Cynthia Ozick, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2022
  • The ways things get named after people in this world are a source of endless fascination and sometimes puzzlement.
    — Justin Fox, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2017
  • My puzzlement is there’s no real story other than none of this happened.
    — Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2018
  • More broadly, the broader public reacts to Trump with puzzlement and amusement.
    — Chris Cillizza, CNN, 11 June 2018
  • The Japanese responded to Mr. Trump’s statement about the trade pact with a mix of puzzlement and cautious optimism.
    — Mark Landler and Ana Swanson, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2018
  • As for what Lin is walking into, Netflix’s structure has long been a source of Hollywood puzzlement.
    — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'puzzlement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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