riddle Synonyms
Another word for riddle
• noun (Context 1)
A question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented as a game.
"The ancient sphinx posed a clever puzzle to every traveler who wished to pass."
• verb (Context 2)
To make many holes in something, or to permeate and spread throughout something undesirable (usually used in the passive with 'with').
"The initial draft of the financial report was riddled with calculation errors."
• noun (Context 3)
A person, thing, or situation that is difficult to understand or explain; a complex mystery.
"How the ancient civilization transported those massive stone blocks remains a historical enigma."
• verb (Context 4)
To speak in or pose riddles, or to solve and explain a riddle.
"He loved to puzzle his grandchildren with clever wordplay during long car rides."
• noun (Context 5)
A coarse-meshed sieve used to separate finer material from coarser material, such as soil, gravel, or ashes.
"The gardener used a wire sieve to remove stones from the compost before potting the seedlings."
• verb (Context 6)
To pass material such as soil, gravel, or cinders through a coarse sieve.
"She spent the afternoon in the potting shed, riddling the topsoil to prepare the seedbeds."