as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
his motives for starting an argument with the coach were a complete riddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to drill
to make a hole or series of holes in
several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to penetrate
to spread throughout
the newspaper exposé revealed a gaming commission that is riddled with corruption
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riddle
Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Representing himself in the case, Routh submitted three filings to the court, all of which were filled with unusual sentiments and riddles with typos.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Dame Dash has been in the news for years, riddled by allegations of debt, lawsuits, and even unpaid taxes that allegedly resulted in his daughter getting evicted from her New York City apartment.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riddle
Noun
Refusing to simply hand the viewer a conclusion, Penn leaves Hackman spinning his boat in the warm Gulf waters, an iconic visual metaphor for the confusion and frustration of his unanswerable riddle — and perhaps of his entire era.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Representing himself in the case, Routh submitted three filings to the court, all of which were filled with unusual sentiments and riddles with typos.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Like many Roblox games, Steal a Brainrot is riddled with in-app purchases and copyright controversies, but is wildly popular with children.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Dame Dash has been in the news for years, riddled by allegations of debt, lawsuits, and even unpaid taxes that allegedly resulted in his daughter getting evicted from her New York City apartment.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddle
Noun
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But there’s a whole lot else going on here besides, beginning with that aforementioned lobby encounter between Mathias and blonde mystery woman Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz, more breathily reminiscent than ever of a younger Marion Cotillard).—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
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This is a literary thriller, mystery and an ode to true crime all wrapped up in one.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After junior Zander Govostes drilled a 22-yard field goal to push Xaverian’s lead to 10-0 later in the frame, Springfield Central (2-1) answered.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
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Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead right before the first half whistle when Tadeo Allende leaped and drilled in a header off a perfect cross from Jordi Alba.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The name of the series has also penetrated the cultural lexicon as a way to refer to someone who has been deceptive about their identity online.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
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Potatoes are dense, and the salt has to penetrate a lot of mass to make it to their centers.—
Molly Baz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Looking for a free mini puzzle?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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With a global database, scientists and researchers are able to use uploaded images to piece together the puzzle that is the climate crisis, using them to analyze and assess the current state of microregions across the world.—
Madison Beveridge,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sharp cracks of gunfire pierced the morning air, loud, jarring pangs that echoed off the concrete.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Police have said there were people inside the ABC10 offices when three gunshots pierced a window on the north side of the building.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The film certainly steers clear of Emmerichian overdrive, but it is suffused with hopelessness — on both an intimate and an epic scale.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
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But the hot gas that suffused the space between the galaxies in each cluster would have crashed head-on.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Rob Fetters, in many ways, is an enigma.—
Otto Rabe,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Sep. 2025
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Over time, the fate of the footage has become one of the biggest enigmas in Hollywood history.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Frustrated by the decision, with both players pulling each other’s shirts, the striker picked the ball up and punched it into the air.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Vincuillo grabbed his girlfriend, slammed her into a wall in the living room, and punched her before throwing her into a bathroom, police said.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddle. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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