conundrum means A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer. It carries an Arena rating of 1425, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, conundrum ranks #2,308 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,374 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,517 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,574 of 14,448 for Funniest Words.
conundrum is pronounced /kəˈnʌn.dɹəm/.
Why “conundrum” is a great word
A confusing and difficult problem or question, often involving a pun or a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. Of unknown origin, first appearing in the late 16th century as a burlesque imitation of scholastic Latin; one plausible theory connects it to the Latinized name for the Jesuit scholars of Coimbra (Conimbricenses), known for their intricate, pun-reliant arguments. Unlike a paradox, which presents a logical contradiction that may nonetheless be true, or a dilemma, which forces a strict binary choice between two unfavorable paths, a conundrum is a more ornate and playful cage of logic. It is the knotted riddle posed at a feast, the impossible choice hidden within a verbal sleight-of-hand, or the bureaucratic maze that yields no exit—a testament to the mind's delight in constructing elegant prisons for itself.
Etymology
A word of unknown origin with several variants, gaining popularity for its burlesque imitation of scholastic Latin, as hocus-pocus or panjandrum. If there is more to its origin than a nonce coinage, Anatoly Liberman suggests the best theory is that connecting it with the Conimbricenses, 16th c. scholastic commentaries on Aristotle by the Jesuits of Coimbra which indulge heavily in arguments relying on multiple significations of words.
noun
- A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer.““Why should I understand that, or anything else?” asked the girl. “Don’t bother my head by asking conundrums, I beg of you. Just let me discover myself in my own way.””
- A difficult choice or decision that must be made.“2004, Martha Stewart, statement read before being sentenced to five months in prison
And while I am more concerned about the well-being of others than for myself, more hurt for them and for their losses than for my own, more worried for their futures than for the future of Martha Stewart the person, you are faced with a conundrum, a problem of monumental, to me, proportions.”
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