conundrum
noun
Douglass Cater
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.
Examples of conundrum in a Sentence
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
Lisa Z. Lindahl, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
For us New York Giants reporters, there’s one topic of conversation that will dominate the week and is impossible to ignore: the quarterback conundrum.
—Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump’s real-time confrontation with Maine’s governor over transgender athletes captured the conundrum many Democratic governors are facing in the Republican’s second term.
—Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Pop culture of the time also plays a role, as Malaika and Nico face a comical conundrum when trying to pick a movie at a local multiplex.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conundrum
Cite this Entry
“Conundrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conundrum. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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conundrum
noun
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