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

Example Sentences

She made it clear that she respected the jurors — six men and three women — who were kept anonymous by the judge and who, she said, remained an enigma to her.

From Seattle Times

This enigma fits nicely with the marketing surrounding "Queen Charlotte" and its fictionalized realization of an inclusive British nobility.

From Salon

It's really the mystery inside the enigma type of thing.

From Salon

The impact of Ben Embarek’s dismissal on efforts to solve that lingering enigma remains unclear.

From Washington Times

Barry’s own father has been something of an enigma, but we know at the very least that Barry has named his own son John, after him.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• conundrum
• puzzle