enigma
Inscrutable closed book
An enigma is something puzzling or mysterious—a riddle that resists easy explanation.
The word often describes people whose motives or character remain opaque: He was an enigma to everyone who knew him.
It extends to any baffling situation or phenomenon: The disappearance remains an enigma.
Something enigmatic invites interpretation but withholds clear answers.
Puzzling question to solve
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
paradox · cipher · code · cryptogram · secret · question · Sphinx · whodunit
Unlikely but possible winner
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- unknown quantityUndetermined value or factor
- sphinxMysterious, unreadable person
closed book · question mark · recluse · secretive · private · elusive · inscrutable · unpredictable
Impossible to understand
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
- impenetrableImpossible to pass through
- incomprehensibleImpossible to understand
- inexplicableCannot be accounted for
mysterious · cryptic · opaque · obscure · veiled · hidden · arcane · esoteric
riddle
Puzzling question to solve
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
brainteaser · paradox · cipher · code · cryptogram · secret · question · Sphinx · whodunit · clue
dark horse
Unlikely but possible winner
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- unknown quantityUndetermined value or factor
sphinx · closed book · question mark · recluse · secretive · private · elusive · inscrutable · unpredictable · eccentric
inscrutable
Impossible to understand
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
- impenetrableImpossible to pass through
- incomprehensibleImpossible to understand
inexplicable · mysterious · cryptic · opaque · obscure · veiled · hidden · arcane · esoteric · abstruse
- uncertaintyuncertainty, uncertain, unknown, unsure, unclear
- puzzlespuzzles, sudoku, jigsaw puzzle, puzzle cube, crossword
- word gamescrossword, Scrabble, crossword puzzle, anagram, word game
- riddlesriddles, riddle, conundrums, conundrum, brainteasers
- Anomaliesanomaly, deviation, aberration, irregularity, oddity
- brain teasersriddle, brain teaser, logic puzzles, puzzle, brainteasers
enigmaclarity
State of being understandable
obviousness · transparency · clearness · truism · banality
enigmasolution
Answer or liquid mixture
answer · resolution · explanation · known quantity · key
- Enigma machineElectromechanical encryption device
- enigmatic figurePuzzling, hard-to-read individual
- Enigma codeWWII German military cipher
- riddle wrapped in an enigmaUtterly baffling matter