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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of riddle
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Combat isn't everything, however; Silent Hill f has plenty of puzzles, riddles, and secrets scattered throughout the world, providing a satisfying challenge.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Bryan West, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Consider that drive the first bullet in an Eagles’ shoe that would soon be riddled with them.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riddle
Noun
If conversations feel like riddles, don’t let pride get in the way of asking the right questions, Leo.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Combat isn't everything, however; Silent Hill f has plenty of puzzles, riddles, and secrets scattered throughout the world, providing a satisfying challenge.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
After the show's intro rolled, his monologue was riddled with Swift jokes.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Consider that drive the first bullet in an Eagles’ shoe that would soon be riddled with them.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddle
Noun
-
In the forties, exactly how the body dealt with starvation remained a mystery.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
-
At this time, Mone's mystery opponent has not been listed internally.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The match ended after Rhodes was disqualified for drilling McIntyre with his championship.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Local residents and dairy farmers asked the agency whether they would be limited to drill new wells if their old ones fail, if homes would be forced to share their water use, and how much water the agency would take from users.—
Clara Migoya,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The thermal lance Caan uses to penetrate the safe was Santucci’s own burning bar.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Kim has called for the development of multi-warhead systems that would improve the chances of penetrating missile defenses, and some experts say the Hwasong-20 could be designed for that purpose.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Climbing has always attracted a loyal base of diehards, thanks to the sport’s addictive combination of brain-teasing puzzles, playful agility, and, not least of all, its adrenaline-pumping element of danger.—
Kelli María Korducki,
HubSpot,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The 21-year-old conservationist's father died at age 44 in 2006 after being pierced by a stingray barb while filming in Australia.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Minutes into Game 3, shovels pierced the ground to dig the Blue Jays’ postseason grave.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His music, stuffed with live instrumentation and harmonic sophistication, is suffused with the sound and spirit of Sly Stone, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye, among many others.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Two frame types—the Breitling Chrono 0002 and Breitling Lémain 0001—are available directly from Cutler & Gross in different colors and editions, and each is suffused with nods to the Swiss watchmaker’s esteemed dive watch collection.—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Proctor has been somewhat of an enigma.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
To voters, Starmer remains an enigma.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The victim resisted, was punched, and attempted to flee while calling a friend for help.—
Phillipe Vieira,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The video, which has more than 1,000 shares, captured a woman punching another woman on a counter when a man with a gray shirt walked up to them.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddle. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share