RIDDLING Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

riddling

verb

Definition of riddling

present participle of riddle

as in drilling

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in penetrating

to spread throughout the newspaper exposé revealed a gaming commission that is riddled with corruption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddling

Verb

Environmental advocates warn the rollback puts wildlife on a path to extinction and vow court challenges as Washington presses for more Pacific Coast drilling over West Coast states’ objections.

— Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
The process converts solid rock directly into vapor, allowing drilling to continue into geological formations that are too hot and abrasive for traditional equipment.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026

Definition of drilling

Verb

Israel has a long track record of targeting senior Iranian military officers and government officials and successfully penetrating the Iranian regime’s security.

— Natasha Lebedeva, NBC news, 3 July 2026
No one admits to having asked a bad question in polite company, yet the difference between a superficial inquiry and a penetrating one often determines whether a company merely iterates or genuinely transforms.

— Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of penetrating

Verb

Granite cliffs piercing the sea and the sky are Acadia National Park’s most recognizable feature.

— Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Her flat, piercing groundstrokes and booming serve are perfect for grass, and defending champion Świątek will need to calm down her serving roller coaster to stay in touch.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of piercing

Verb

After suffusing some of this lunar simulant with helium-3, Interlune will use those samples to test its extraction methods.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
And, yes, suffusing it all is Pelicot’s interesting unreliability—to herself above all.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 May 2026

Definition of suffusing

Verb

At the same hearing in May, Cooper answered another question the way Hegseth might have—by punching back.

— Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Video of the incident shows two officers struggling with the woman, with one of them punching her in the head before taking her to the ground.

— Jason Green, Mercury News, 8 July 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

On June 3, Walden went to the hospital, where a CT scan revealed the metal bristle had become lodged in his bowel and had begun puncturing his intestine.

— Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Where there’s normally carpet or hardwood floors, there are rocks, puncturing bare feet with each step.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of puncturing

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.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Riddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddling. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of riddling

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on riddling

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loquacious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes