cryptogram
noun
cryp·to·gram
ˈkrip-tə-ˌgram 
1
: a communication in cipher or code
2
: a figure or representation having a hidden significance
Examples of cryptogram in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of course, most of the action over at Vula centered around the Beware Advantage that Sai located, which led to a cryptogram puzzle involving animals, colors, letters, and the butt doctor’s unscrambling skills.
—
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Back in California last month, Kristie Cowling had spent the day searching in the mountains for the Past and Future Box, which includes private keys to a Bitcoin and whose chapter in the book includes a reference to the novel Ready Player One, a word search and a cryptogram.
—Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
The Swiss judiciary uses a system of letters and numbers to create pseudonyms for appellants, respondents, and anyone else involved, turning a case file into a cryptogram.
—Jay Fielden, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
To this day, authorities have not formally named anyone as the Zodiac Killer, and only two of his cryptograms have been solved.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Apr. 2024
Like them, Schulz wrote about frustrated messianic longing, his resentment and awe of his father, and the tormenting intuition that the world is a cryptogram that will never be solved.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2023
Less and less, after forty years of living with the poem, am I tempted to regard it, or shun it, as a cryptogram.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022
At some point in the morning, a large wooden cryptogram is wheeled out onto the stage.
—Heather Platt, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2022
Each time a chip card is used, the card itself computes a secret value (known as a cryptogram) that is sent to the issuer of the card, who can use it to validate that the actual physical card was used in the transaction.
—Rui Ribeiro, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022
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Dalton Ross, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Back in California last month, Kristie Cowling had spent the day searching in the mountains for the Past and Future Box, which includes private keys to a Bitcoin and whose chapter in the book includes a reference to the novel Ready Player One, a word search and a cryptogram.
—Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
The Swiss judiciary uses a system of letters and numbers to create pseudonyms for appellants, respondents, and anyone else involved, turning a case file into a cryptogram.
—Jay Fielden, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
To this day, authorities have not formally named anyone as the Zodiac Killer, and only two of his cryptograms have been solved.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Apr. 2024
Like them, Schulz wrote about frustrated messianic longing, his resentment and awe of his father, and the tormenting intuition that the world is a cryptogram that will never be solved.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2023
Less and less, after forty years of living with the poem, am I tempted to regard it, or shun it, as a cryptogram.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022
At some point in the morning, a large wooden cryptogram is wheeled out onto the stage.
—Heather Platt, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2022
Each time a chip card is used, the card itself computes a secret value (known as a cryptogram) that is sent to the issuer of the card, who can use it to validate that the actual physical card was used in the transaction.
—Rui Ribeiro, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Cryptogram.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptogram. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cryptogram
noun
cryp·to·gram
ˈkrip-tə-ˌgram
: something written in cipher or code
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