as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
why he chose to sink all of his money into a failing business is a real head-scratcher
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Recent Examples of head-scratcher
Given not only how overmatched his roster is on paper, but the fact that Willard himself called the scheduling of this game a head-scratcher, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff Neiburg, a blowout loss by Villanova would hardly be a shocker.
—
Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Denver’s late fourth-quarter play-call was the most obvious head-scratcher of any decision against the Titans, as Nix dropped back and fired off an incomplete go-ball to Marvin Mims on a fourth-and-eight with a minute left.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
Figuring out how to get rid of dandruff can be a real head-scratcher.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
The jury’s still out on the first head-scratcher.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-scratcher
Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Denver’s late fourth-quarter play-call was the most obvious head-scratcher of any decision against the Titans, as Nix dropped back and fired off an incomplete go-ball to Marvin Mims on a fourth-and-eight with a minute left.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
Figuring out how to get rid of dandruff can be a real head-scratcher.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
The jury’s still out on the first head-scratcher.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-scratcher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-scratcher
mystery
Noun
-
Originally, this was a great mystery, as cosmic rays were known to be composed almost exclusively of protons, and the theoretical limit on a proton that traveled through intergalactic space should forbid such excessively high energies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
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However, the exact source of these jets around their black hole central engines and the precise mechanism powering them is still something of a mystery.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head-scratcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-scratcher. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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