51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

enigma

[uh-nig-muh]

noun

plural

enigmas 
,

plural

enigmata .
  1. a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation.

    His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.

    Synonyms:
  2. a person of puzzling or contradictory character.

    To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.

  3. a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.

  4. (initial capital letter)a German-built enciphering machine developed for commercial use in the early 1920s and later adapted and appropriated by German and other Axis powers for military use through World War II.



enigma

/ ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk, ɪˈnɪɡmə /

noun

  1. a person, thing, or situation that is mysterious, puzzling, or ambiguous

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other 51Թ Forms

  • enigmatic adjective
  • ˌԾˈپ adverb
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of enigma1

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin aenigma, from Greek íԾ, equivalent to ainik- (stem of íٳ󲹾 “to speak in riddles,” derivative of îԴDz fable) + -ma noun suffix of result
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of enigma1

C16: from Latin aenigma, from Greek ainigma, from ainissesthai to speak in riddles, from ainos fable, story
Discover More

Synonym Study

See puzzle.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It unfolds along the same lines as “The Perfect Couple” and “Nine Perfect Strangers,” both of which feature Nicole Kidman playing patrician enigmas — a trend that began with her turn in "Big Little Lies."

From

Now, a group of palaeontologists have come to Pipestone Creek - appropriately nicknamed the "River of Death" - to help solve a 72-million-year-old enigma: how did they die?

From

He watched in awe as the top collegiate pitcher in the nation, an enigma on the mound, hurled seemingly unhittable 101-mph fastballs past his opponents.

From

Since Watson is a sucker for enigmas, he surrounds himself with a team of young experts, each of whom is defined by one of their own.

From

But Jesus has still remained an enigma to one of the country’s preeminent authorities in gospel scholarship in many ways.

From

Advertisement

Related 51Թs

Discover More

When To Use

What doesenigmamean?

An enigma is someone or something that’s puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to make sense of.The word enigma can also mean a riddle, but it’s more often used to refer to something that’s so perplexing that it seems like a riddle (and perhaps was intended to seem like one), as in That book is an enigma—I have no idea what it’s really about. If you call a person an enigma, you mean that they’re hard to figure out—the reasons behind what they say and do are not easily understood. Some people try to be enigmas to be mysterious.The adjective enigmatic can be used to describe someone or something that’s puzzling or mysterious.Example: I’ve known him for years, but he’s still a total enigma to me—I have no idea what his interests are or what he’s really like.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Enidenigmatic