Meaning & use
core conundrum
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableformal
A difficult central problem that seems to have no clear solution.
Grammar: Countable; it can be used with 'a' or in the plural 'core conundrums.'
Patterns
- the core conundrum of something
- face a core conundrum
- address a core conundrum
The core conundrum of the negotiations was how to share water resources fairly.
Scientists still debate the core conundrum of why the dinosaurs died out.
The report identified the core conundrum: too many cars and too few roads.
Word forms
| plural | core conundrums |
|---|
Common combinations
- the core conundrum of
- The core conundrum of democracy is balancing freedom with order.
- face a core conundrum
- Developing countries face a core conundrum: growth versus environmental protection.
- address the core conundrum
- The committee met to address the core conundrum of funding.
Synonyms and how they differ
- central dilemma
- Similar meaning, but 'dilemma' often suggests a choice between two difficult options, while 'conundrum' emphasizes the puzzle itself.
- key problem
- More general and less formal; it does not carry the sense of a puzzling, hard-to-solve issue.
Word family
- conundrum noun
- A confusing and difficult problem or question.
Practice
Choose the sentence where 'core conundrum' is used most naturally.
Choose one answer.
'Core conundrum' means a central difficult problem, so it fits the sentence about the novel's main puzzle. The other options treat it as food, a verb, or a physical object, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “core conundrum”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.