different between perplex vs surprise

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plect? (“plait, weave, braid”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: p?rpl?ks?, IPA^(key): /p??pl?ks/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: p?pl?ks?, IPA^(key): /p??pl?ks/
• Rhymes: -?ks

Verb

perplex (third-person singular simple present perplexes, present participle perplexing, simple past and past participle perplexed)

1. (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
2. (transitive) To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.

   • What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To plague; to vex; to torment.
   • 1726, George Granville, Chloe

     Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:confuse

Related terms

• perplexable
• perplexation
• perplexed
• perplexedness
• perplexing
• perplexity
• perplexment

Translations

Adjective

perplex (comparative more perplex, superlative most perplex)

1. (obsolete) intricate; difficult
   • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica

     How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is as perplex in the Theory, as either of the former.

Noun

perplex (plural perplexes)

1. (obsolete) A difficulty.

Further reading

• perplex in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• perplex in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• perplex at OneLook Dictionary Search

German

Etymology

From French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p???pl?ks/
• Hyphenation: per?plex

Adjective

perplex (comparative perplexer, superlative am perplexesten)

1. (colloquial, rarely attributive) confused, perplexed, puzzled

   Synonyms: verdutzt, verblüfft, verwirrt

Declension

Related terms

• Perplexität

Further reading

• “perplex” in Duden online
• “perplex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “perplex” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Romanian

Etymology

From French perplexe, from Latin perplex.

Adjective

perplex m or n (feminine singular perplex?, masculine plural perplec?i, feminine and neuter plural perplexe)

1. perplexed

Declension

English

Alternative forms

• surprize (US, rare)

Etymology

From Middle English surprise, borrowed from Middle French surprise (“an overtake”), nominal use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre (“to overtake”), from sor- (“over”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin super- + Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”). Doublet of suppli.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /s??p?a?z/
• (General American) enPR: s?rpr?z?, IPA^(key): /s??p?a?z/
• (General American, r-dissimilation) enPR: s?pr?z?, IPA^(key): /s??p?a?z/
• Hyphenation: sur?prise
• Rhymes: -a?z

Noun

surprise (countable and uncountable, plural surprises)

1. Something unexpected.
   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert’s debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)[1]

     They had begun brightly but the opening goal was such a blow to their confidence it almost came as a surprise when Walcott, running through the inside-right channel, beat the offside trap and, checking back on to his left foot, turned a low shot beyond Allan McGregor in the Scotland goal.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Surprise! - A party! Awesome!

2. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
3. (obsolete) A dish covered with a crust of raised pastry, but with no other contents.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of King to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (something unexpected): more than one bargained for
• (attributively: unexpected): unexpected
• (feeling): astonishment

Derived terms

• take by surprise
• surpriseful
• surpriseless

Translations

Verb

surprise (third-person singular simple present surprises, present participle surprising, simple past and past participle surprised)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.

2. (transitive) To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.

3. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.

4. (intransitive) To cause surprise.
5. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
6. (transitive) To take unawares.

Synonyms

• (to come upon unexpectedly): overtake

Translations

Anagrams

• spurries, uprisers

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French surprise.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?r?pri?z?/
• Hyphenation: sur?pri?se
• Rhymes: -i?z?

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises, diminutive surprisetje n)

1. (Netherlands) a gift wrapped in an ingenious or creative manner; often given anonymously during Sinterklaas celebrations in a similar way to secret Santa
2. a surprise gift
3. (obsolete) a surprise

   Synonym: verrassing

Derived terms

• sinterklaassurprise

French

Etymology

From the feminine of surpris, past participle of the verb surprendre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy?.p?iz/

Verb

surprise

1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre

Adjective

surprise

1. feminine singular of surpris

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises)

1. surprise (something unexpected)

Derived terms

• quelle surprise

Further reading

• “surprise” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises)

1. Alternative form of surprinse

Adjective

surprise

1. feminine singular of surpris

Verb

surprise

1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre