as in mysteries
something hard to understand or explain his motives for starting an argument with the coach were a complete riddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in drills
to make a hole or series of holes in several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suffuses
to spread throughout the newspaper exposé revealed a gaming commission that is riddled with corruption
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of riddles
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 All types of lanterns are lighted throughout the streets, and poems and riddles are often written for entertainment. —Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026 The resulting footage was only discovered by the Cinémathèque in 2023; now edited together into a cohesive work, this invaluable and sui generis artifact finds one master filmmaker engaging with and taking in thewisdom, riddles, and pronouncements of another. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026 Neighbors put their own spin on the game, dressing up Frank in accessories, and posting riddles and clues to their local Facebook group to give hints on Frank's whereabouts. —CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025 The answer to nature’s greatest riddles are written upon the Universe itself. —Big Think, 1 Dec. 2025 Play the role of a detective and complete riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers to solve the mystery by Christmas Eve. —Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 16 Nov. 2025 In my experience, one viewing at the New York Film Festival was not enough to parse the film’s gorgeous riddles and meditation on cinema as a dream machine. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025 His fans and followers enjoy solving the riddles through the screen, and the comments usually reflect the level of difficulty or ease of each game. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Steven R. Furlanetto, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
Noun
LeetCode is a training platform for the kind of algorithmic riddles that usually crop up in interviews for big tech companies. —Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 All types of lanterns are lighted throughout the streets, and poems and riddles are often written for entertainment. —Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026 The resulting footage was only discovered by the Cinémathèque in 2023; now edited together into a cohesive work, this invaluable and sui generis artifact finds one master filmmaker engaging with and taking in thewisdom, riddles, and pronouncements of another. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026 Neighbors put their own spin on the game, dressing up Frank in accessories, and posting riddles and clues to their local Facebook group to give hints on Frank's whereabouts. —CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025 The answer to nature’s greatest riddles are written upon the Universe itself. —Big Think, 1 Dec. 2025 Play the role of a detective and complete riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers to solve the mystery by Christmas Eve. —Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 16 Nov. 2025 In my experience, one viewing at the New York Film Festival was not enough to parse the film’s gorgeous riddles and meditation on cinema as a dream machine. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025 His fans and followers enjoy solving the riddles through the screen, and the comments usually reflect the level of difficulty or ease of each game. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
Any trip to the dark night skies of our Southern California deserts reveals a vista full of wonder and mystery — riddles that astrophysicists like myself spend our days unraveling. —Steven R. Furlanetto, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddles
Noun
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The research also shows how quantum technologies are providing new tools to study the fundamental mysteries of physics.— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
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Our universe is full of mysteries, but few are as perplexing as the dark, tiny galaxies that hover around larger ones like the Milky Way.— Paul Sutter, Space.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.— Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
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Skeleton drills with rags hanging from their shorts.— Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The soft natural light suffuses the red clay brick room, centered around long communal tables, introducing an intimate ease that invites you to linger.— Anais Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
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Well, that and quantum teleportation, which is the reason that quantum entanglement suffuses this entire field to this day.— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!— Eve Chen, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
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To find her way out, Miskwa must solve puzzles and navigate different environments while learning Ojibwe words and phrases along the way.— Joe Van Ryn, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mirroring the 3-star wig cap structure, this wig featured three combs (left-side, right-side, nape), a drawstring, wig band insertion holes, and a 13×4 lace.— Noel Cymone Walker, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2026
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The penetration holes indicate that the internal facility is likely bombed out, destroying anything that was inside.— CBS News, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For most mammals, water quickly penetrates wet fur and directly contacts the skin, eliminating the coat’s key benefit.— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
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Why Oven Temperature Matters For Baked Potatoes Oven temperature determines how heat penetrates the potato, affecting how the starches inside gelatinize and soften.— Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Toss in plenty of brutal murders, bizarre prophecies, time-bending enigmas, and haunting hallucinations — all seemingly tied to Lucy’s mysterious meetings with the Hannibal Lecter-like Gideon Shepherd (Peter Capaldi) — and this one's well worth losing six hours of sleep over.— Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
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Simpson has been one of the biggest enigmas in this year’s draft.— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its 1959 Googie-style sign pierces the sky, a beacon of hope for weary road-trippers cruising this achingly lonely stretch of highway.— Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
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Lower the heat to medium-high and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and a paring knife easily pierces a potato, about 15 minutes.— C.W. Cameron, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/riddles. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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