RIDDLES Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

riddles 1 of 2

noun

plural of riddle

as in mysteries

something hard to understand or explain his motives for starting an argument with the coach were a complete riddle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

riddles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of riddle

as in drills

to make a hole or series of holes in several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in suffuses

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 riddles

Noun

Whether the brand promise of independence survives a business model built on agent territory sales is one of the next riddles for the housing market to solve. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 This Father's Day, break out these silly (and slightly cringe-y) one-liners, puns, riddles, and jokes. — Jamie Fischer, Parents, 20 June 2026 The machine’s repertoire included answers to 12 riddles, passages from books, and laughing, crying and kissing sounds, as well as arias sung in both male and female voices—all feats that Edison’s phonograph would one day be able to accomplish by recording and playing back the human voice. — Ron Cowen, Scientific American, 3 June 2026 The New Zealand singer-songwriter wanders around inside her psychedelic folk arrangements, singing in private riddles and changing the tone of her voice from one song (or even one verse) to the next, seemingly oblivious or indifferent to your presence. — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026 How imagination works, how influence unfolds, how history rhymes — these remain riddles. — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 For now, Anteotokounmpo, 31, remains coy, his words wrapped in riddles and his intentions couched in caveats, even as ESPN continues to report that a trade (somewhere) is viewed as inevitable and even as the two-time MVP insists that a trade is not his decision. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026 LeetCode is a training platform for the kind of algorithmic riddles that usually crop up in interviews for big tech companies. — Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 The resulting footage was only discovered by the Cinémathèque in 2023; now edited together into a cohesive work, this invaluable and sui generis artifact finds one master filmmaker engaging with and taking in thewisdom, riddles, and pronouncements of another. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026

Verb

Along the Atlantic coast of Europe a cancer riddles the golden carpet shell clam, Polititapes aureus, yet genotyping showed its cells are not that clam’s at all. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Blyth was nominated in the supporting role as Mildred's spoiled daughter, Veda, who seduces her mother's second husband (Zachary Scott), then riddles him with bullets in a jealous rage. — ABC News, 26 June 2026 Any trip to the dark night skies of our Southern California deserts reveals a vista full of wonder and mystery — riddles that astrophysicists like myself spend our days unraveling. — Steven R. Furlanetto, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddles

Noun

With the capability of observing the cosmos with a wide field of view, Roman will generate first-of-their-kind images to help astronomers explore some of the greatest mysteries, including the unexplained expansion of the universe, according to NASA.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
And yes, thankfully, that does include taking a visit to a more rural part of the country, where — as any fan of British cozy mysteries will tell you — some of the most interesting murders take place.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of mysteries

Verb

Berrios is sidelined right now by a soft tissue injury but was running pretty well on the side of team drills Monday.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
Other notes from Panthers-Jaguars practice First-round pick rookie offensive tackle Monroe Freeling held his own in one-on-one drills as well as team drills in practice on Wednesday.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of drills

Verb

But the latter’s crisply executed harmonies are but one of multiple examples of what splendid singing suffuses this production.

— Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
Announcing its hardcore aspirations with a moody steel-blue palette that suffuses the rural setting with dread, the film takes place almost entirely on a remote cow farm, the home of a mixed-race family of three.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 May 2026

Definition of suffuses

Noun

Over the years, The Book Rack has offered thousands of books across a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres, along with candles, notebooks, bookish gifts and more than 100 puzzles.

— Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
Learning new skills, playing word games and having stimulating hobbies like reading or puzzles keeps the mind sharp.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of puzzles

Verb

Upgrade a Laundry Room Vent holes in a laundry room might call to mind a traditional airing cupboard, but perhaps counterintuitively, that term actually refers to a heated cupboard for keeping towels dry rather than one in which air freely circulates.

— Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter.

— Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026

Definition of holes

Verb

The latter, on the other hand, has a smaller molecular makeup that penetrates deeper into the skin and provides longer lasting moisture retention.

— Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026
Make sure water penetrates to the deep roots in addition to wetting surface roots.

— Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of penetrates

Noun

In 2024, now grown and with her adoptive father’s approval, the young woman sets off with a wealthy merchant to piece together the historical enigmas surrounding the ancient Sumpa kingdom.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 June 2026
Bob Gray is one of the big enigmas in the book that are intentionally put there to create tension and are never solved.

— Scott Huver, Deadline, 26 Apr. 2026