conundrum

noun

kə-ˈnən-drəm How to pronounce conundrum (audio)
Definition of conundrumnext
as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain the conundrum of how an ancient people were able to build such massive structures without the benefit of today's knowledge and technology

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conundrum Covering tight ends is a conundrum because the safeties (5-11 Dante Trader Jr, and 6-0 Michael Taaffe) are too short to defend big tight ends, such as 6-6 Mike Gesicki, who caught the game’s first TD against Jacob Rodriguez. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026 The result is a movie of dazzling conundrums and vertiginous paradoxes, leading Fielder ever deeper into emotional and intellectual wilds. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026 Fashion’s relationship with art is a conundrum that’s plagued the minds of some of its greatest auteurs. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 3 Oct. 2026 The site to which Shift is specific is not just the farm in King City but the field of historical preservation, where the conundrum of stasis versus passing time prevails. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conundrum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conundrum
  1. mystery
  2. enigma
Noun
  • To get to the bottom of the mystery of the article’s spurious dating, Cade and a team of researchers from around the globe sifted through historic reports and observations of geomagnetic activity to set the record straight.
    — Mike McRae October 15, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In the first, a best-selling mystery author dies, and Benoit Blanc, a charismatic and inquisitive private eye played by Daniel Craig, must investigate.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of mystery
Noun
  • The enigma of comets and asteroids lured the world’s space agencies into funding a series of robotic probes to study them.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Menopause, despite being a fact of life for most women, is something of a scientific enigma.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of enigma

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contusions
conundrum
conundrums
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Cite this Entry

“Conundrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conundrum. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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