Synonyms for conundrum
kəˈnʌn drəmco·nun·drum

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. conundrumnoun

   A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer.

   Synonyms:
   enigma, brain-teaser, riddle, puzzle

2. conundrumnoun

   A difficult choice or decision that must be made.

   Synonyms:
   dilemma

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.3 / 4 votes

1. conundrumnoun

   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:
   enigma, paradox, problem, puzzle, riddle

   Antonyms:
   answer, axiom, explanation, proposition, solution

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.4 / 5 votes

1. riddle, conundrum, enigma, brain-teasernoun

   a difficult problem

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

Matched Categories

1. • Problem

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:4.5 / 2 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "conundrum":

   enigma, riddle, puzzle, dilemma, mystery

How to pronounce conundrum?

How to say conundrum in sign language?

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How to use conundrum in a sentence?

1. Andrew Tabler:

   I don't see a tremendous amount of change out of the Iranians or Russians. There is some talk of them being tired, but their positions are pretty firm, they think that Assad's immediate departure would lead to a collapse of the regime. Washington also sees a rapid collapse of the regime as something that would be a boon for ISIS. They are in a conundrum: if Assad goes right away, it would help ISIS, but if he doesn't go at all, you have no hope of putting the pieces of Syria back together again.

2. Valerie Szybala:

   The regime’s big conundrum was that it was unable to carry out offensives on multiple fronts, the ceasefire allowed them to focus militarily on a few key areas. Their continued military actions have been tolerated by the international community because no-one wants to see the ceasefire dead.

3. Joshua Tucker:

   The conundrum is that the platforms are terrified of being accused of political bias, when they enforce any sort of content moderation policy, the huge tech companies have a lot to lose if they alienate one side of the political spectrum. At some point, the other side will be in power.

4. Paul Dergarabedian:

   The ebb and flow of the popularity of streaming is mainly determined by the ups and downs of the pandemic, that has created not only a conundrum for studios, but also for consumers who are torn between their desire to see blockbuster films on the big screen at their local multiplex or from the comfort of the couch at home.

5. Jacob Hornberger:

   It’s your classic conundrum, whether the Congress should swallow the bad in order to get the good. It’s time to get beyond fighting in the weeds here.