sphinx

American  

[sfingks] / sfɪŋks /

noun

plural

sphinxes, sphinges

1. (in ancient Egypt)

   1. a figure of an imaginary creature having the head of a man or an animal and the body of a lion.

   2. (usually initial capital letter) the colossal recumbent stone figure of this kind near the pyramids of Giza.

2. (initial capital letter) a monster, usually represented as having the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. Seated on a rock outside of Thebes, she proposed a riddle to travelers, killing them when they answered incorrectly, as all did before Oedipus. When he answered her riddle correctly the Sphinx killed herself.

3. any similar monster.

4. a mysterious, inscrutable person or thing, especially one given to enigmatic questions or answers.

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Sphinx ¹ British  

/ sfɪŋks /

noun

1. Greek myth a monster with a woman's head and a lion's body. She lay outside Thebes, asking travellers a riddle and killing them when they failed to answer it. Oedipus answered the riddle and the Sphinx then killed herself

2. the huge statue of a sphinx near the pyramids at El Gîza in Egypt, of which the head is a carved portrait of the fourth-dynasty Pharaoh, Chephrēn

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sphinx ² British  

/ sfɪŋks /

noun

1. any of a number of huge stone statues built by the ancient Egyptians, having the body of a lion and the head of a man

2. an inscrutable person

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Sphinx ¹ Cultural  

1. In the story of Oedipus, a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. It waylaid travelers on the roads near the city of Thebes and would kill any of them who could not answer this riddle: “What creatures walk on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?” Oedipus finally gave the correct answer: human beings, who go on all fours as infants, walk upright in maturity, and in old age rely on the “third leg” of a cane.

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Sphinx ² Cultural  

1. A great sculpture carved from the rock near the Egyptian pyramids in about 2500 b.c. It depicts a creature from Egyptian mythology with the head of a man and the body of a lion. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

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Discover More

The sphinx of Greek mythology resembles the sphinx of Egyptian mythology but is distinct from it (the Egyptian sphinx had a man's head). (See under “Fine Arts.”)

Etymology

Origin of sphinx

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin < Greek sphínx, equivalent to sphing-, base of sphíngein to hold tight ( sphincter ) + -s nominative singular ending

Explanation

A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head. The original sphinx of Greek mythology also had wings. The most famous statue of a sphinx is in Giza, Egypt. The Great Sphinx of Giza is the one you've probably heard of — it's near the pyramids on the banks of the Nile River. Most sphinxes were made to represent various Egyptian pharaohs. The original Greek sphinx told riddles and ate those who couldn't solve them, until Oedipus finally got one right and that sphinx died. In Greek, sphinx means "the strangler.” If someone is like a sphinx, it just means they’re mysterious and quiet, not that they’ll strangle you.

Example Sentences

While the 11 rival candidates crisscrossed the central African country pressing the flesh ahead of the October 12 vote, Biya's campaign has been largely virtual, true to his reputation as a secretive "sphinx".

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

A bronze “Sentinel,” its surface featuring a rich black patina, transforms a traditional sphinx motif.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2024

Sphingolipids are named for the enigmatic sphinx of ancient mythology because their functions in biology traditionally have been somewhat mysterious.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

Less than a month before that, on June 2 or 3, two large sphinx sculptures located at the entrance of the Scottish Rite Temple in Washington, D.C., were "severely damaged" and smeared with "filth."

From Salon • Aug. 13, 2023

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• conundrum
• enigma
• problem
• question
• riddle
• secrecy
• subtlety
• thriller