Synonyms of conundrum

conundrum

noun

kə-ˈnən-drəm 

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

• mystery
• enigma
• puzzle
• riddle
• problem
• why
• puzzlement
• secret
• mystification
• challenge
• head-scratcher
• closed book
• matter
• perplexity
• trouble
• poser
• case
• stumper
• brainteaser
• knot

Example Sentences

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

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