HEAD-SCRATCHERS Synonyms: 20 Similar Words

head-scratchers

noun

plural of head-scratcher

as in mysteries

something hard to understand or explain why he chose to sink all of his money into a failing business is a real head-scratcher

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 head-scratchers Yet seemingly out of desperation, the nominees also have included total head-scratchers like Coldplay, Florence + the Machine, Matchbox Twenty, the Eagles — the fuckin’ Eagles, man! — Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 That executive pointed to a few of Stearns’ deals that proved to be head-scratchers, such as the contracts for Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea ahead of the 2025 season. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2026 The Oscar-winning actor playing Zorro is Jean Dujardin, whose run of awards accolades for The Artist remains one of those peculiar head-scratchers. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026 The extraordinary strength of that lineup seems even more pronounced following the conclusion of a 2026 festival that, by consensus and by comparison, was a bit of a disappointment—not without its good and even great films, though with many head-scratchers in between. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026 Some lineup decisions were head-scratchers, but there was a mandate to try to develop the young guys as much as possible, and Warsofsky gave them a longer leash. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-scratchers

Noun

Starring Zhang Yi, Ma Li, and Chen Minghao alongside guest appearances by Karry Wang, Fan Chengcheng, and Chen Feiyu, the multi-decade drama chronicles an elite public security detective unravelling major criminal mysteries based on real cases.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Most Sherlock Holmes stories are mysteries – intricate, complex and brilliantly written.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of mysteries

Noun

PBHs could help resolve other enigmas, too, for instance by acting as seeds for the rapid growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

— Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
Its findings could also unlock clues about dark energy and dark matter, and some of the universe’s biggest enigmas.

— Denise Chow, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of enigmas

Noun

These novels are puzzles at their core, and using logic to solve the mystery before it’s revealed in the book is, to me, the main pleasure in reading them.

— New York Times, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
The next two puzzles seem, on the surface, to have nothing to do with the first two.

— Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of puzzles

Browse Nearby Words

head-scratcher

head-scratchers

head-scratching

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Head-scratchers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-scratchers. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of head-scratchers

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes