Categories: GeneralSynonyms

PUZZLE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for PUZZLE?

Need another word that means the same as “puzzle”? Find 64 synonyms and 30 related words for “puzzle” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Puzzle” are: amaze, baffle, beat, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, get, gravel, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, stick, stupefy, vex, bewildering, mystifying, bemusing, think hard about, give much thought to, rack one's brains about, mull over, muse over, ponder, brood about, contemplate, meditate on, consider, reflect on, deliberate on, chew over, turn over in one's mind, cogitate on, wonder about, ask oneself about, work out, understand, comprehend, think out, think through, sort out, reason out, solve, make sense of, get to the bottom of, make head or tail of, unravel, untangle, decipher, decode, find the key to, piece together, mystifier, puzzler, teaser, enigma, mystery, paradox, conundrum, poser, riddle, question, question mark, problem

Puzzle as a Noun

Definitions of "Puzzle" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “puzzle” as a noun can have the following definitions:

  • A person or thing that is difficult to understand or explain; an enigma.
  • A particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution.
  • A game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.
  • A game that tests your ingenuity.
  • A jigsaw puzzle.

Synonyms of "Puzzle" as a noun (12 Words)

conundrumA question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle.
One of the most difficult conundrums for the experts.
enigmaA person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand.
Madeleine was still an enigma to him.
mysterySomething that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.
The mystery of Christ.
mystifierA particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution.
paradoxA person or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities.
Parmenides was the original advocate of the philosophical power of paradox.
poserA person who habitually pretends to be something he is not.
problem(in chess) an arrangement of pieces in which the solver has to achieve a specified result.
A problem family.
puzzlerA person who solves puzzles as a pastime.
That s a real puzzler.
questionAn instance of questioning.
Edward was the only one she obeyed without question.
question markA sentence of inquiry that asks for a reply.
riddleA coarse sieve (as for gravel.
The riddle of her death.
teaserA worker who teases wool.
Promotional teasers in every commercial break.

Usage Examples of "Puzzle" as a noun

  • A puzzle with 500 pieces.
  • He loved to solve chessmate puzzles.
  • Realization dawned as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
  • A book with picture puzzles.
  • Those who solve this puzzle in the shortest time are eligible for awards.
  • That's a real puzzler.
  • The meaning of the poem has always been a puzzle.

Puzzle as a Verb

Definitions of "Puzzle" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “puzzle” as a verb can have the following definitions:

  • Solve or understand something by thinking hard.
  • Be a mystery or bewildering to.
  • Think hard about something because one cannot understand it.
  • Cause (someone) to feel confused because they cannot understand something.
  • Be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide.

Synonyms of "Puzzle" as a verb (52 Words)

amazeSurprise (someone) greatly; fill with astonishment.
He has been amazed by the quality of the employees at the bank.
ask oneself aboutDirect or put; seek an answer to.
baffleRestrain the emission of (sound, fluid, etc.
To baffle the noise further I pad the gunwales.
beatShape by beating.
Her heart was beating fast.
bemusingCause to be confused emotionally.
bewilderBe a mystery or bewildering to.
His reaction had bewildered her.
bewilderingBe a mystery or bewildering to.
brood aboutBe in a huff and display one’s displeasure.
chew overChew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth.
cogitate onUse or exercise the mind or one’s power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments.
comprehendInclude, comprise, or encompass.
I simply couldn t comprehend what had happened.
considerShow consideration for take into account.
They considered the possibility of a strike.
contemplateThink intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes.
I contemplated leaving school and taking a full time job.
decipherConvert (a text written in code, or a coded signal) into normal language.
Can you decipher this letter.
decodeConvert code into ordinary language.
A handbook to help parents decode street language.
deliberate onDiscuss the pros and cons of an issue.
dumbfoundBe a mystery or bewildering to.
She was dumbfounded at the sight that met her eyes.
find the key toAccept and make use of one’s personality, abilities, and situation.
flummoxPerplex (someone) greatly; bewilder.
I was completely flummoxed by the whole thing.
getTake vengeance on or get even.
Where did she get these news.
get to the bottom ofBe a mystery or bewildering to.
give much thought toManifest or show.
gravelCover with gravel.
They gravelled the road.
make head or tail ofBehave in a certain way.
make sense ofGive certain properties to something.
meditate onReflect deeply on a subject.
mull overReflect deeply on a subject.
muse overReflect deeply on a subject.
mystifyMake mysterious.
Mystify the story.
mystifyingMake mysterious.
nonplusBe a mystery or bewildering to.
Diane was nonplussed by such an odd question.
perplexMake more complicated.
They were perplexing a subject plain in itself.
piece togetherRepair by adding pieces.
ponderReflect deeply on a subject.
I pondered the question of what clothes to wear for the occasion.
poseAssume a posture as for artistic purposes.
We don t know the woman who posed for Leonardo so often.
rack one's brains aboutStretch to the limits.
reason outDecide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion.
reflect onBe bright by reflecting or casting light.
solveFind the solution.
Solve an equation.
sort outArrange or order by classes or categories.
stickCome or be in close contact with stick or hold together and resist separation.
She sticks to her principles.
stupefyMake dull or stupid or muddle with drunkenness or infatuation.
The amount they spend on clothes would appal their parents and stupefy their grandparents.
think hard aboutJudge or regard; look upon; judge.
think outBring into a given condition by mental preoccupation.
think throughHave or formulate in the mind.
turn over in one's mindPass to the other side of.
understandBe understanding of.
You don t need to explain I understand.
unravelUndo (twisted, knitted, or woven threads).
The sweater unraveled.
untangleFree from a tangled or twisted state.
He knew he d have to untangle a financial mess and somehow restore investor confidence.
vexBe a mystery or bewildering to.
Thou shalt not vex a stranger.
wonder aboutHave a wish or desire to know something.
work outFind the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of.

Usage Examples of "Puzzle" as a verb

  • We puzzled over her sudden departure.
  • She was puzzled by the doctor's manner.
  • She was still puzzling over this problem when she reached the office.
  • She was trying to puzzle out who the speakers were.

Associations of "Puzzle" (30 Words)

abstruseDifficult to understand; obscure.
The professor s lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them.
arcaneUnderstood by few; mysterious or secret.
The arcane science of dowsing.
baffleBe a mystery or bewildering to.
A baffle plate.
confoundMistake one thing for another.
The inflation figure confounded economic analysts.
conundrumA question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle.
One of the most difficult conundrums for the experts.
convolutedHighly complex or intricate and occasionally devious.
Convoluted legal language.
crosswordA puzzle in which words corresponding to numbered clues are to be found and written in to squares in the puzzle.
She settled down to do the crossword.
crypticHaving a secret or hidden meaning- John Gunther.
Cryptic plumage is thought to minimize predation.
cryptogramA piece of writing in code or cipher.
enigmaA difficult problem.
Madeleine was still an enigma to him.
enigmaticDifficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.
Prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries.
esotericConfined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle.
A compilation of esoteric philosophical theories.
esotericaSecrets known only to an initiated minority.
A professor of such esoterica as angelology and comparative shamanism.
inexplicableIncapable of being explained or accounted for.
Inexplicable errors.
jigsawA portable power saw with a reciprocating blade; can be used with a variety of blades depending on the application and kind of cut; generally have a plate that rides on the surface that is being cut.
Help the police put all the pieces of the jigsaw together.
labyrinthineResembling a labyrinth in form or complexity.
A labyrinthine network of tortuous footpaths.
mazeBe dazed and confused.
They were trapped in a menacing maze of corridors.
mementoA reminder of past events.
You can purchase a memento of your visit.
mysteriousHaving an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding.
The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.
mysteryA religious belief based on divine revelation, especially one regarded as beyond human understanding.
A mystery guest.
puzzlingCausing one to be puzzled; perplexing.
A puzzling statement.
rebusA puzzle in which words are represented by combinations of pictures and individual letters; for instance, apex might be represented by a picture of an ape followed by a letter X.
reconditeDifficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge.
Some recondite problem in historiography.
riddleSet a difficult problem or riddle.
They started asking riddles and telling jokes.
secretGiven in confidence or in secret.
A secret bride.
sibyllineHaving a secret or hidden meaning.
Thoroughly sibylline in most of his pronouncements.
solveFind the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of.
Solve for x.
triviaDetails, considerations, or pieces of information of little importance or value.
We fill our days with meaningless trivia.
unfathomable(of water or a natural feature) impossible to measure the extent of.
Mountains of unfathomable scale.
unsolvedNot solved.
An unsolved mystery.
Alexei

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