noun
conundrum
kuh-NUHN-druhm
noun
1
A confusing or difficult problem, often one without a clear solution.
"Choosing between the two job offers was a real conundrum."
"The detective faced a conundrum: two suspects, but only one alibi."
How to Use Conundrum
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA tricky problem or puzzling dilemma.
Common pairings
a real conundrum
face a conundrum
solve a conundrum
Word Forms
conundrums plural, conundra plural
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Etymology
Origin unknown; it appeared in the 1500s-1600s as a playful, mock-scholarly Latin-sounding coinage, in the same spirit as "hocus-pocus."