enigma

American  

[uh-nig-muh] / əˈnɪg mə /

noun

plural

enigmas,

plural

enigmata

1. a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation.

   His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.

   Synonyms:

   problem

2. a person of puzzling or contradictory character.

   To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.

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

4. (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.

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enigma British  

/ ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk, ɪˈnɪɡmə /

noun

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

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Usage

What does enigma mean? An enigma is someone or something that’s puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to make sense of. The word enigma can also mean a riddle, but it’s more often used to refer to something that’s so perplexing that it seems like a riddle (and perhaps was intended to seem like one), as in That book is an enigma—I have no idea what it’s really about. If you call a person an enigma, you mean that they’re hard to figure out—the reasons behind what they say and do are not easily understood. Some people try to be enigmas to be mysterious. The adjective enigmatic can be used to describe someone or something that’s puzzling or mysterious. Example: I’ve known him for years, but he’s still a total enigma to me—I have no idea what his interests are or what he’s really like.

Related Words

See puzzle.

Other Word Forms

• enigmatic adjective
• enigmatically adverb

Etymology

Origin of enigma

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

Explanation

Use the noun enigma to refer to something that is a puzzle or a mystery. Why do you have to learn difficult words like this? That is an enigma. Traveling to English from Greek by means of the Latin word for "riddle," enigma refers to something or someone that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to figure out. Many things have been named Enigma, including a rock band, a video game, a rollercoaster ride, and a very famous coding machine used in World War II.

Example Sentences

I have now spoken to more patients and doctors about why this condition remains such an enigma.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

While much of “Fatherland” feels underdeveloped, it is to Ms. Shorr’s credit that she has let Martin remain a disturbing enigma.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

It’s Seyfried who elevates “The Housemaid” from guilty pleasure status, making it an exhilarating enigma at one moment and genuinely affecting the next.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

But she said the film, which goes on global release on Friday and will later be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime, would give people a look behind the enigma.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Intrigued by that enigma, he dug so deeply into her sentiments that in search of interest he found love, because by trying to make her love him he ended up falling in love with her.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• conundrum
• puzzle