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Synonyms

puzzler

American  
[puhz-ler] / ˈpʌz lər /

noun

  1. a person who puzzles.

  2. a baffling thing or problem.

  3. a person who is occupied or amused by solving puzzles.

puzzler British  
/ ˈpʌzlə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that puzzles

"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

Etymology

Origin of puzzler

First recorded in 1645–55; puzzle + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Then came this puzzler: “I have stopped Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine.”

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2026

Hamaguchi welcomes all interpretations of his elegant puzzler, adding that he found the process of writing and shooting “Evil Does Not Exist” restorative.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2024

Those compounds didn't react at all, a puzzler the researchers are still trying to understand.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2024

She was a voracious reader, ace crossword puzzler and heavyweight Scrabble player.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2024

Leaning against its smooth-barked trunk, I removed Connor’s puzzler from my pocket.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.