DictionaryAI

enigma

noun
i-NIG-muh/ɪˈnɪɡmə/

Pluralenigmas, enigmata

6 meanings of enigma

Practice

  1. 1
    a mysterynouncountable
    A person or thing that is very hard to understand or explain.

    Her older brother has always been a bit of an enigma to the rest of the family.

    The strange lights over the lake are still an enigma.

    UsageSay someone is an enigma to you.

    Similarmystery, puzzle, conundrum, riddle

    Note
  2. 2
    problem to solvenouncountable
    A riddle, or a problem that is very hard to work out.

    The teacher wrote an enigma on the board and asked us to solve it.

    The old riddle was an enigma that no one in town could solve.

    UsageRiddle is the more common word.

    Similarriddle, puzzle, conundrum, mystery

    Note
  3. 3
    air of mysterynoununcountable
    The quality of being mysterious or hard to understand.

    The story is full of enigma, and the ending explains nothing.

    Fans love the enigma around the singer, who never gives interviews.

    UsageSay a story is wrapped in enigma.

    Similarmystery, obscurity

    Oppositeclarity

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    nounrare
    Riddles and puzzles of all kinds, thought of as a group.
    From the beginning, readers of The Enigma of Arrival are likely to feel surrounded by enigma and puzzle.
    2000, Harish Trivedi, Richard Allen
  2. 5
    nounrare
    A style of writing that is unclear and hints at a meaning beyond ordinary life.
    The interpretive effort elicited by enigma approaches an instant of transcendent understanding that has the force of revelation, yet without ever fully or permanently reaching it.
    2017, Curtis A. Gruenler, Piers Plowman and the Poetics of Enigma
  3. 6
    noun
    A protein in living cells that helps control a chemical change in other proteins.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the Latin word aenigma, "riddle", which came from Greek.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts