conundrum

noun

co·​nun·​drum kə-ˈnən-drəm 

1

a

: an intricate and difficult problem

He is faced with the conundrum of trying to find a job without having experience.

b

: a question or problem having only a conjectural answer

… the political conundrums involved, particularly the problem of how the richer areas … can be made to subsidize the poorer.

—Douglass Cater

2

: a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun (as in "Why didn't the lost hikers starve in the desert? Because of the sand which is there.")

Did you know?

We can only conjecture the exact origin of conundrum. What is known is that the word has been in use since the 1600s, and that it had various spellings, such as conimbrum, quonundrum, conuncrum, and quadundrum, before the current spelling was finally established in the following century. One theory of origin suggests that the word was coined as a parody of Latin by students at Oxford University, where it appears to have enjoyed particular popularity in its "word play" or "pun" sense. While the prevalent sense in this century is that of the seemingly unanswerable question or problem, frequently applied to heady dilemmas involving ethics, sociology, or economics, the word is sometimes so loosely applied to anything enigmatic as to be synonymous with puzzle or mystery.

Synonyms

• closed book
• enigma
• head-scratcher
• mystery
• mystification
• puzzle
• puzzlement
• riddle
• secret
• why

Examples of conundrum in a Sentence

… giving parents a wealth of educational options sometimes presents a familiar inner-city conundrum: What if all your choices are bad ones? —Katherine Boo, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2001

Mention of poor eyes and good eyes brings me to the creationist's favorite conundrum. What is the use of half an eye? —Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden, 1995

The explanation of this conundrum is to be heard, at this very moment, on certain surreptitious radio waves, on which the voice of the American convert Bilal is … transmuted into the thunderous speech of the Imam himself. —Salman Rushdie, Harper's, December 1988

the conundrum of how an ancient people were able to build such massive structures without the benefit of today's knowledge and technology

Recent Examples on the Web

Or, then again, maybe such a conundrum isn’t really at play. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Packing cubes are the key to a variety of travel conundrums. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2024

In many ways, 23andMe’s conundrum is similar to the Instant Pot problem. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 1 Oct. 2024

The conundrum appears to have created a schism between some of Iran’s top leaders, who are proceeding with caution, and its biggest hard-liners, who are demanding swift and decisive action. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

conundrum

noun

co·​nun·​drum kə-ˈnən-drəm 

: riddle entry 1 sense 1, puzzle