Gloss · Words · Conundrum

conundrum

kəˈnʌndrəmnoun

What does conundrum mean?

A confusing problem with no easy answer.

Conundrum, six ways

PlainA confusing problem with no easy answer.
ADHDA puzzle. No clean answer. Every option costs.
Gen ZA problem where every choice is bad in a different way.
MetaphorA knot with no loose end to pull.
FormalA confusing and difficult problem or question; also, a riddle.
Like I’m 5A hard puzzle that is tricky to solve. That’s a conundrum.

How to pronounce conundrum

kuh-NUN-drum/kəˈnʌndrəm/

Conundrum in a sentence

Fixing the roof or the car was a real conundrum.
What to cook with three eggs and a lemon: a conundrum.
The housing conundrum has no single fix.

Synonyms for conundrum

dilemmaA choice between two bad options.
puzzleLighter, and solvable.
quandaryThe state of not knowing what to do.

Enigma vs conundrum: An enigma is a mystery. A conundrum is a problem, usually a hard choice. The difference, in plain English.

Where conundrum comes from

Unknown. It appears in the 1590s as a joke word, probably mock Latin from Oxford, and settled into meaning a riddle over the next century.

Good to know

Once a riddle with a pun for an answer; now any hard problem, especially one where every choice costs something.

Conundrum meaning, on a Gloss card: A confusing problem with no easy answer.

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Words like conundrum

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