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Perplexing vs Cryptic - What's the difference?

perplexing | cryptic |

As adjectives the difference between perplexing and cryptic

is that perplexing is confusing or puzzling while cryptic is having hidden meaning.

As a verb perplexing

is present participle of lang=en.

As a noun cryptic is

a cryptic crossword.

perplexing

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • confusing or puzzling
  • bewildering
  • Verb

    (head)
  • cryptic

    Alternative forms

    * cryptick (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having hidden meaning.
  • Mystified or of an obscure nature.
  • * Glanvill
  • Her [nature's] more cryptic ways of working.
  • Involving use of code or cipher/cypher.
  • (zoology) Well camouflaged; having good camouflage.
  • Lonomia caterpillars are extremely cryptic .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) A cryptic crossword.
  • * 1996 , Mary McCarthy, Remember Me (page 85)
  • He settled down to the cryptic in the Independent . He loved his crossword. It kept him mentally active, just as gossip did his wife.
  • * 2009 , Bill Taylor, Building a crossword'' (in ''Toronto Star , 1 February 2009)
  • This writer has been solving cryptics for 40 years and can usually crack Araucaria, though it might take a couple of days.

    Derived terms

    * cryptically * cryptogram