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enigma
[ uh-nig-muh ]
noun
- a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation:
His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.
Synonyms:
- a person of puzzling or contradictory character:
To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.
- a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.
- (initial capital letter) a German-built enciphering machine developed for commercial use in the early 1920s and later adapted and appropriated by German and other Axis powers for military use through World War II.
enigma
/ ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk; ɪˈnɪɡmə /
noun
- a person, thing, or situation that is mysterious, puzzling, or ambiguous
Derived Forms
- enigmatic, adjective
- ˌԾˈپ, adverb
yvlog History and Origins
Origin of enigma1
yvlog History and Origins
Origin of enigma1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
But Jesus has still remained an enigma to one of the country’s preeminent authorities in gospel scholarship in many ways.
Decoding mysteries is his driving compulsion, and if decoding the enigma of human interaction is part of that – something solo living never requires him to practice – so be it.
Considering how efficiently the movie sets up its rules, the filmmakers opt to shatter one of its central, compelling enigmas by attempting to explain it in a poorly written scene toward the end.
He remains an enigma, though his revelation to Chelsea gives us more to look forward to.
Discussions about him revolve around an idea of him as a manipulator or enigma.
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More About Enigma
What doesԾmean?
An enigma is someone or something that’s puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to make sense of.
The word enigma can also mean a riddle, but it’s more often used to refer to something that’s so perplexing that it seems like a riddle (and perhaps was intended to seem like one), as in That book is an enigma—I have no idea what it’s really about.
If you call a person an enigma, you mean that they’re hard to figure out—the reasons behind what they say and do are not easily understood. Some people try to be enigmas to be mysterious.
The adjective enigmatic can be used to describe someone or something that’s puzzling or mysterious.
Example: I’ve known him for years, but he’s still a total enigma to me—I have no idea what his interests are or what he’s really like.
Where doesenigma come from?
The first records of the word enigma come from the 1500s. It comes from the Greek íٳ, meaning “to speak in riddles,” from ainos, meaning “fable” or “story.”
A much more specific use of the word is as the name of a ciphering machine used by the German military during World War II. A precursor to computer encryption, the Enigma machine was used to encode messages into a seemingly random string of letters to be decoded by another Enigma machine set up the same way. The deciphering of the Enigma code by Alan Turing and a team of codebreakers allowed the Allies to secretly read intercepted German messages and is thought to be a major factor in the Allied victory.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to enigma?
- enigmatic (adjective)
What are some synonyms for enigma?
What are some words that share a root or word element with enigma?
What are some words that often get used in discussing enigma?
How isenigma used in real life?
When a situation or problem is called an enigma, it’s one that’s confusing or difficult to understand, like a riddle. When a person is called an enigma, it usually means that they’re hard to know.
Human history is quite an enigma. We know so little, and much of what we think we know seems to be highly questionable.
— occultbot (@occultb0t)
Diego Costa is an enigma. Looks 50, acts 15, is actually 26.
— Futhead (@Futhead)
Mastering a can be quite an enigma & these are some mistakes you're probably making!
— James Caan CBE (@jamescaan)
Try usingenigma!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of enigma?
A. cipher
B. answer
C. puzzle
D. riddle
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