What does "enigma" mean?
Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable.
Enigma
/ɪˈnɪɡmə/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable.
- Grammar: enigma is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: conundrum, mystery, riddle, arcanum.
- Useful contrasts: clarity, clear case, explanation.
- Usage evidence: Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
How to use "enigma"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "enigma" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "enigma" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "enigma" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "enigma" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "enigma" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "conundrum" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "enigma", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable. countable, uncountable
"I was, and still am, an enigma to myself."
- 2 something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained wordnet
- 3 A riddle, or a difficult problem. countable, uncountable
"Some enigma, some riddle: come, thy l'envoy, begin."
- 4 a difficult problem wordnet
- 5 Riddles and puzzles, collectively. countable, uncountable
"From the beginning, readers of The Enigma of Arrival are likely to feel surrounded by enigma and puzzle."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 Mysteriousness; obscurity; a lack of clarity. countable, uncountable
"In those halcyon days I believed that the source of enigma was stupidity ."
- 7 A style of literature characterized by obscurity and hints of transcendental meaning. countable, uncountable
"But in a sense it is probably close to this book— a series of juxtaposed splinters of meaning, which perhaps once in ten million times will come out as a piece of interpretable prose, with the black pieces intervening, and possibly one could look at this as a one-in-ten million exercise in enigma perhaps meaning something."
- 8 Alternative letter-case form of Enigma. alt-of, countable, uncountable
"This U-boat consistently used Norddeich or Kootwijk frequencies for her shadowing reports, all of which were in enigma."
- 9 A protein with three LIM domains (a conserved cysteine- and histidine-rich structure of two adjacent zinc fingers) at the C terminus that regulates protein phosphorylation. countable, uncountable
"Members of this LIM protein family expressed in muscle include muscle LIM protein (MLP), enigma, actinin-associated LIM protein (ALP), cypher, four and a half LIM-only protein FHL/SLIM, and heart LIM protein (HLP)."
- 10 The Talaud kingfisher, Todiramphus enigma. countable, uncountable
"As noted by Fry (1980), if both forms were shown to be resident and breeding on Talaud, enigma must be accorded specific status."
- 11 Any of species of Oedaleonotus enigma of grasshoppers. countable, uncountable
"The principal species involved were the migratory grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fab.); the Packard grasshopper, Melanoplus packardii Scudd.; the clearwinged grasshopper, Camnula pellucida (Scudd.); and the Enigma Oedaleonotus enigma Scudd."
- 12 Any of species of Heliothis enigma of rare moths. countable, uncountable
"Unlike any other species except virescens , the base of the male valve in enigma is slightly expanded and is entirely covered by hair insertions; unlike virescens, the base of the valve is not expanded into a large corema."
Proper Noun
- 1 A German device used during World War II to encode strategic messages. historical
Antonyms
Example
"Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "enigma"?
Common synonyms include: conundrum, mystery, riddle, arcanum, baffle, bafflement.
How do you use "enigma" in a sentence?
Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
How do you pronounce "enigma"?
Pronounced /ɪˈnɪɡmə/.
Etymology
From Latin aenigma (“riddle”), being derived itself from the Ancient Greek verbal noun αἴνιγμα (aínigma, “dark saying, speaking in riddles”).