enigma

[ uh-nig-muh ]

/ əˈnɪg mə /

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noun, plural e·nig·mas; Chiefly Archaic e·nig·ma·ta [uh-nig-muh-tuh] /əˈnɪg mə tə/.

a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation: His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.

a person of puzzling or contradictory character: To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.

a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.

(initial capital letter) a German-built enciphering machine developed for commercial use in the early 1920s and later adapted and appropriated by German and other Axis powers for military use through World War II.

Nearby words

enhancer, enharmonic, enharmonic modulation, enhearten, enid, enigma, enigmatic, enigmatize, enisle, eniwetok, enjambment

Origin of enigma

1530–40; < Latin aenigma < Greek aínigma, equivalent to ainik- (stem of ainíssesthai to speak in riddles, derivative of aînos fable) + -ma noun suffix of result

SYNONYMS FOR enigma

1 problem. See puzzle.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enigma ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for enigma

As great as this feat was, an equally demanding test followed: to conceal from the Nazis that Enigma had been beaten.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The name is "an enigma even to me," Taylor says -- an appropriately mysterious moniker to make spiritual music under.
Leaps of Faith: Wrestling With Uncertainty and Finding Grace Through the Music of Hiss Golden Messenger|Howard Wolfson|March 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lil B is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a song about Ellen Degeneres.
2 Chainz, Snoop Lion, and More Rappers in the Kitchen|Filipa Ioannou|August 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The prodigious computer genius, who took his own life Friday at age 26, remains an enigma to those unaware of his many projects.
Aaron Swartz, 26, Programmer, Outspoken Advocate of Free Information|Nina Strochlic|January 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Despite her many high-profile projects, Carine Roitfeld still manages to maintain a sense of enigma in the public mind.
Carine Roitfeld Talks About New Harper’s Bazaar Job at French Institute in New York|Misty White Sidell|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I propose an enigma; only I am not cruel like the Sphinx and will not devour you if you fail to guess.
The Hero of the People|Alexandre Dumas
But he was not thinking of her as the Napoleonic enigma personified.
The Missourian|Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle
There was nothing else left to do; after that he would allow the enigma to drop into the abyss of undiscoverable things.
Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy
The two men stared at all this, wondering what lay behind it, until on a sudden the enigma became clear to both of them.
Despair's Last Journey|David Christie Murray
She was the spirit of the enigma, the very personification of the Napoleonic sphinx.
The Missourian|Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle

British Dictionary definitions for enigma

enigma

/ (ɪˈnɪɡmə) /

noun

a person, thing, or situation that is mysterious, puzzling, or ambiguous

Derived Forms

enigmatic (ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk) or enigmatical, adjectiveenigmatically, adverb

Word Origin for enigma

C16: from Latin aenigma, from Greek ainigma, from ainissesthai to speak in riddles, from ainos fable, story

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012