What is another word for enigma?

Synonyms for enigma
əˈnɪg mə; -mə təenig·ma

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word enigma.

English Synonyms and Antonyms2.4 / 9 votes

  1. enigmanoun

    Conundrum, a word of unknown origin, signifies some question or statement in which some hidden and fanciful resemblance is involved, the answer often depending upon a pun; an enigma is a dark saying; a paradox is a true statement that at first appears absurd or contradictory; a problem is something thrown out for solution; puzzle (from oppose) referred originally to the intricate arguments by which disputants opposed each other in the old philosophic schools. The riddle is an ambiguous or paradoxical statement with a hidden meaning to be guessed by the mental acuteness of the one to whom it is proposed; the riddle is not so petty as the conundrum, and may require much acuteness for its answer; a problem may require simply study and scholarship, as a problem in mathematics; a puzzle may be in something other than verbal statement, as a dissected map or any perplexing mechanical contrivance. Both enigma and puzzle may be applied to any matter difficult of answer or solution, enigma conveying an idea of greater dignity, puzzle applying to something more commonplace and mechanical; there are many dark enigmas in human life and in the course of providence; the location of a missing object is often a puzzle.

    Synonyms:
    conundrum, paradox, problem, puzzle, riddle

    Antonyms:
    answer, axiom, explanation, proposition, solution

Princeton's WordNet3.2 / 5 votes

  1. mystery, enigma, secret, closed booknoun

    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

    "how it got out is a mystery"; "it remains one of nature's secrets"

    Synonyms:
    arcanum, brain-teaser, whodunit, conundrum, riddle, secret, closed book, mystery, mystery story

  2. riddle, conundrum, enigma, brain-teasernoun

    a difficult problem

    Synonyms:
    brain-teaser, closed book, secret, riddle, conundrum, mystery

Matched Categories

Dictionary of English Synonymes0.0 / 0 votes

  1. enigmanoun

    Synonyms:
    riddle, puzzle, dark saying, obscure question

PPDB, the paraphrase database0.0 / 0 votes

  1. List of paraphrases for "enigma":

    riddle, conundrum, puzzle, mystery, clue

Suggested Resources

  1. enigma

    Song lyrics by enigma -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by enigma on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce enigma?

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Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#553problem
#2600secret
#3778mystery
#4785puzzle
#11057clue
#15245paradox
#19762riddle
#20043enigma
#40558conundrum
#70561arcanum
#79822whodunit

How to use enigma in a sentence?

  1. Olivia Raney:

    Kids with the most severe special needs are an enigma, they have the highest need for round-the-clock care, yet the lowest chance of finding forever families.

  2. Sir Winston Churchill, Radio speech, 1939:

    I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma: but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.

  3. Jared Leadbetter:

    There is a whole set of environmental engineering literature on drinking-water-distribution systems getting clogged by manganese oxides, but how and for what reason such material is generated there has remained an enigma. Clearly, many scientists have considered that bacteria using manganese for energy might be responsible, but evidence supporting this idea was not available until now.

  4. Joseph Joubert:

    Without the spiritual world the material world is a disheartening enigma.

  5. Edgar Allan Poe:

    It may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma... which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve.


Translations for enigma

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