as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
the final fate of the colonists at Roanoke remains a puzzle to this very day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to baffle
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
I was able to puzzle out the riddle in a fairly short time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puzzle
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
While filming an unboxing video wasn’t unusual, having to do it before the dog park left him puzzled.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puzzle
Noun
Thanks for teaching me how to buy clothes that fit, how to cook Mexican food, how to be a better man, how to solve puzzles in Zelda, how to make good playlists, how to be a good friend, and how to understand Spanish.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
The mostly icy island of Greenland has been a part of a centuries-long marketing campaign, resulting in a puzzling name with a fascinating history.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
While filming an unboxing video wasn’t unusual, having to do it before the dog park left him puzzled.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puzzle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzle
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
-
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
“Puzzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzle. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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