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conundrum

American  
[kuh-nuhn-druhm] / kəˈnʌn drəm /

noun

  1. 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.

  2. anything that puzzles.

conundrum British  
/ kəˈnʌndrəm /

noun

  1. a riddle, esp one whose answer makes a play on words

  2. a puzzling question or problem

"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

Etymology

Origin of conundrum

First recorded in 1590–1600; pseudo-Latin word of obscure origin

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.

Perhaps the biggest conundrum the head coach has been left with after this camp is up front.

From BBC

Another conundrum involves the disappearance of a swimming instructor.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is a moral conundrum that can have no resolution.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Until recently, while stellar rotation was thought to be part of solving this conundrum, limited computing abilities prevented us from quantitatively testing the hypothesis," says Falk Herwig, principal investigator and director of ARC.

From Science Daily

That presents the Fed with a classic conundrum, especially given its dual mandate of maintaining maximum employment and low inflation.

From Barron's

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.