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
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Recent Examples of riddles
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
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
Steven R. Furlanetto, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
Noun
For now, Anteotokounmpo, 31, remains coy, his words wrapped in riddles and his intentions couched in caveats, even as ESPN continues to report that a trade (somewhere) is viewed as inevitable and even as the two-time MVP insists that a trade is not his decision.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
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
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
-
These are some of life’s great mysteries.—
Hannah Madlener,
Glamour,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Balls and strikes are simple, at least compared to the mysteries of goalie interference.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Embiid, a 7-foot-0, 280-pound, 32-year-old native of Cameroon who won league MVP honors in 2023, participated in some of the Sixers’ drills just 15 days removed from emergency appendectomy surgery.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
-
For kids, there will be a mobile video game truck, skills and drills stations, inflatables, balloon and caricature artist and a face painter.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Apple works at this vertiginous juncture where Emily Dickinson goes rumbling into Etta James and, lately, Beyoncé; where Nico solves puzzles with Randy Newman, Kurt Weill, Nina Simone and the Beatles.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Simpson has been one of the biggest enigmas in this year’s draft.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddles. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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