Enigmatic

How to spell enigmatic

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce enigmatic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does enigmatic mean?

1. adjectiveDifficult to interpret or understand; mysterious and puzzling.

Enigmatic in a sentence

• The chief executive gave an enigmatic smile and refused to confirm the merger.

• Her enigmatic reply left the whole committee guessing at her real intentions.

Where does enigmatic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the ancient Greek ainigma, meaning 'a riddle' or 'a dark, puzzling saying', which itself grew from the verb ainissesthai, 'to speak in riddles or hints', built on ainos, meaning 'a tale or fable'. The Greek noun was taken into Latin as aenigma, and Late Latin formed the adjective aenigmaticus to describe something riddle-like or obscure. English adopted 'enigma' in the sixteenth century and the adjective 'enigmatic' followed somewhat later, keeping the sense of anything that baffles or resists easy explanation. A useful spelling memory is that 'enigmatic' simply carries the noun 'enigma' inside it, so the silent 'g' that trips writers up sits in exactly the same place in both words. The classic riddle of the Sphinx, posed in Greek myth, is the kind of puzzle the original ainigma described, which keeps the word tied to mystery to this day.

How the word is built

• enigma- (from Greek ainigma: a riddle)
• -atic (adjective-forming suffix)