conundrum
Americannoun
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conundrums
plural
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a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
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anything that puzzles.
noun
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a riddle, esp one whose answer makes a play on words
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a puzzling question or problem
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of conundrum
First recorded in 1590–1600; pseudo-Latin word of obscure origin
Explanation
The tricky word conundrum is used to describe a riddle or puzzle, sometimes including a play on words or pun. One of the most famous conundrums is the riddle of the Sphinx, famously in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, a mythical beast, who asks him, "What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" The answer is "A person": crawling as a child, walking as an adult, and using a cane in old age. The scary thing is that if the Sphinx asked you the riddle and you didn't know, she'd eat you!
Vocabulary lists containing conundrum
100 Top "SAT" Words
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In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But, in Hart's opinion, Iraola still has a major conundrum.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
One significant question is the Cody Gakpo conundrum, which will roll into the final week of the transfer window.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
It’s an anxiety born from the conundrum of masculinity, in which a “man card” must be punched before one is accepted into the tribe of Manly Men.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
The tasting was one of dozens of tests the maker of Slim Jims and Hungry-Man dinners is conducting with an eye toward the conundrum presented by GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“No, no,” said Emma, “it will not reckon low. A conundrum of Mr. Weston’s shall clear him and his next neighbour. Come, sir, pray let me hear it.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Their work is a cultural bridge much like Ashitaka’s effort to bring the worlds of beasts and men together for a common cause, depicting what Miyazaki sees as one of humanism’s central conundrums.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
He answered listener conundrums, including which Gabfest host would make the best dictator and what pastry he’d like to be reincarnated as.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
That means some interesting conundrums may arise during the race.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
Email your pairing conundrums, etiquette queries and other pressing questions on bottles for the holiday table to [email protected].
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Perhaps, people being the conundrums that they are, and having so little desire to shoulder the burden of their lives, this is what will always happen.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
