noun
Etymology
Origin of puzzler
Explanation
A puzzler is a confusing or tricky problem. The mystery of why you always lose your car keys can be described as a puzzler. You might be sure you'll ace your math test until you get to the final question, a complete puzzler that you can't figure out how to solve. Other kinds of puzzlers could be the complicated plot of a novel you're reading or what the secret ingredient is in your dad's brownie recipe. The noun puzzler has been around since the mid-1600s, from puzzle, "bewilder or confound."
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
The collapse of eighth-grade reading scores was a puzzler for L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2025
Meanwhile, photography-based puzzler Viewfinder won best British game.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2024
Those compounds didn't react at all, a puzzler the researchers are still trying to understand.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2024
One of them had a notch in it, just like Connor’s puzzler.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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