Enigma Meaning
/ɪˈnɪɡmə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSomething or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable.
nounA riddle, or a difficult problem.
Sentence Examples
Tom is an enigma.
Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient manuscript remains an ____ that scholars cannot fully decipher.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His sudden disappearance remains a complete ____ to his family and friends.
Word Origin & History
From Latin aenigma (“riddle”), being derived itself from the Ancient Greek verbal noun αἴνιγμα (aínigma, “dark saying, speaking in riddles”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I was, and still am, an enigma to myself."
— 1894, Abram H. Dailey, Mollie Fancher, the Brooklyn Enigma, page 66:
"At the heart of all things there is to be found a certain coincidentia oppositorum; and herein, as I have said, lies the key to our problem: the enigma of indeterminism. The astounding fact is that freedom and necessity can coexist;"
— 1995, Wolfgang Smith, The Quantum Enigma: Finding the Hidden Key, page 92:
"Tucked inconspicuously away behind the shoal of darkness that hung in those gloomy corners, the silhouetted enigma was ogling him in halcyon silence."
— 2007, Ramon Elmerito Gatchalian, A Supernatural Threat, page 9:
"But as he came to know this work during his last months, he also came to a profound understanding of the many enigmas that create a deeply satisfying life."
— 2007, Fernando Arrojo Ramos, Enigmas:
"The enigma that is central to homeopathic medicine has to do with the relationship between dilution and potency."
— 2009, Vinton McCabe, The Healing Enigma: Demystifying Homeopathy:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient manuscript remains an ____ that scholars cannot fully decipher.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His sudden disappearance remains a complete ____ to his family and friends.