Riddles for Adults

Are you looking to give your brain a feel-good workout? Because the mind-boggling riddles for adults are sure to make you think hard with their clever wordplay and tricky clues. Don’t worry, they will not become one extra source of stress in your life. In fact, you are more likely to experience the pleasure of a “Eureka!” moment with them or find yourself laughing when you get to read the solution.

Adults riddles are not necessarily hard, but they do require deeper thinking and a more creative approach than riddles for kids, for example. They are a true test of anyone’s problem-solving abilities skills, but one that is also both fun and entertaining.

56 Riddles for Adults With Answers

All day long it’s in and out. I discharge loads from my shaft. Both men and women go down on me. What am I?

Answer: Elevator.

Black we are and much admired. Many seek us if they are tired. We tire the horse, and comfort man, and turn White when we've fulfilled your plan.

Answer: Coal

I bubble and laugh and spit water in your face. I am no lady, and I don't wear lace.

Answer: Fountain

I sit in silence, in the dark I lay; Turning meals to treasures, as in a nest I stay. Who am I, with a golden touch, if I may?

Answer: Hen

A certain crime is punishable if attempted but not punishable if committed. What is it?

Answer: Suicide

Tool of thief, toy of queen. Always used to be unseen. Sign of joy, sign of sorrow. Giving all likeness borrowed.

Answer: Mask

Small was my stature, but my success was great. Until I entered Belgium to be handed my fate. Who am I?

Answer: Napoleon

The more I consume, the brighter I become. The brighter I become, the shorter my life. What am I?

Answer: A lightbulb

I am a fire's best friend. When fat, my body fills with wind. When pushed too thin, through my nose I blow. Then you can watch the embers glow.

Answer: Bellows

I want to be inside you every day, and you can set me to vibrate for extra fun. What am I?

Answer: An electric toothbrush.

Fatherless and motherless. Born without sin, roared when it came into the world. And never spoke again.

Answer: Thunder

Gets rid of bad ones, short and tall. Tightens when used, one size fits all.

Answer: Noose

I stand up tall when things get hot, I fit cozily in an opening, prepared or not.

Answer: A flame.

An open ended barrel, it is shaped like a hive. It is filled with the flesh, and the flesh is alive.

Answer: Thimble

A man and his son were driving to meet his mom when they got in a car wreck. On the way to the ER, the man passed away. The surgeon said I can't operate on this boy, he is my son. How can this be?

Answer: The surgeon is the mom

A dagger thrust at my own heart dictates the way I'm swayed. Left I stand, and right I yield, to the twisting of the blade.

Answer: Lock

From outer space I might hail, in stories, I'm often quite the tale. What am I?

Answer: Alien

All about the house, with his lady he dances, yet he always works, and never romances.

Answer: Broom

What has wings, but can not fly. Is enclosed, but can outside also lie. Can open itself up, or close itself away. Is the place of kings and queens and doggerel of every means. What is it upon which I stand? Which can lead us to different lands.

Answer: Stage

A beggar's brother went out to sea and drowned. But the man who drowned had no brother. Who was the beggar to the man who drowned?

Answer: Sister

Sometimes I am liked, sometimes I am hated. Usually I am old, usually I am dated. What am I?

Answer: History

He stands beside the road. In a purple cap at tattered green cloak. Those who touch him, curse him.

Answer: Thistle

Bouncing Bob was riding a particularly frisky horse when suddenly its bridle came off. As they raced down the road, a screaming Bob clung to the horse's ears for dear life. Out of the corner of his eye, Bob saw a car coming, and realizing the horse was completely out of control, he panicked. Flailing his arms about, he accidentally caused the horse to come to an abrupt halt. What could Bouncing Bob have done to make the horse stop?

Answer: Bob accidentally put his hands over the horse's eyes. If a horse can't see, it will automatically stop.

I'm not a governmental health agency, but the heroes I unite are more than a fantasy. What am I?

Answer: S.H.I.E.L.D.

I fly through the air on small feathered wings, seeking out life and destroying all things.

Answer: Arrow

While I'm not a natural blemish, for the Man of Steel, I'm his greatest diminish. What am I?

Answer: Kryptonite

A harvest sown and reaped on the same day in an unplowed field. Which increases without growing, and remains whole though it is eaten within and without. It is useless and yet the staple of nations.

Answer: War

An archaeologist finds a coin dated 48 B.C. How did he know it was a fake?

Answer: BC stands for Before Christ. Christ was not yet born when the coin would have been made, so the date would have been impossible.

The faster you work, the longer it is before you're done, and the slower you work, the sooner you're finished?

Answer: Roasting meat on a spit

I am two words with thousands of letters in me. What am I?

Answer: I am a " post office " because thousands of letters are found in the post office.

Almost everyone needs it, asks for it, gives it. But almost nobody takes it.

Answer: Advice

What gets longer if pulled, fits snugly between breasts, slides neatly into a hole, chokes people when used incorrectly, and works well when jerked?

Answer: A seatbelt.

What does man love more than life? Fear more than death or mortal strife? What do the poor have, what the rich require, And what contented men desire? What does the miser spend, the spendthrift saves, And all men carry to their graves?

Answer: Nothing

Face with a tree, skin like the sea. A great beast I am. Yet vermin frightens me.

Answer: Elephant

I crack when I’m weary, tingle when I’m scared and stretch when I’m proud. What am I?

Answer: Your spine.

A blue house is made of blue bricks. A yellow house is made of yellow bricks. A red house is made of red bricks. An orange house is made of orange bricks. What would a green house be made of?

Answer: Glass

You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible?

Answer: They are all married.

Here on Earth, it's always true, that a day follows a day. But there is a place where yesterday always follows today!

Answer: In a dictionary.

What do you call an old snowman?

Answer: Water.

I can have a belt, but I’m not wearing pants. I work hard, so you can prance. What am I?

Answer: Car’s Engine

When liquid splashes me, none seeps through. When I am moved a lot, liquid I spew. When I am hit, color I change. And color, I come in quite a range. What I cover is very complex, and I am very easy to flex.

Answer: Skin.

I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. What am I?

Answer: A Joke!

What can break, but never fall? What can fall, but never break?

Answer: Day and night

What is super hard, comes in different sizes, and can go into tiny holes?

Answer: A key.

A dragon's tooth in a mortal's hand, I kill, I maim, I divide the land.

Answer: Sword

I'm found in socks, scarves, and mittens. I'm found in the paws of playful kittens. What am I?

Answer: Yarn.

Today he is there to trip you up. And he will torture you tomorrow. Yet he is also there to ease the pain, when you are lost in grief and sorrow.

Answer: Alcohol

My heart pumps, but I don’t have veins. I consume, but don’t have pains. What am I?

Answer: Car’s Engine

I assist with erections. Sometimes, giant balls hang from me. I’m known as a big swinger. What am I?

Answer: A crane.

I'm a cheese that is made backwards. What am I?

Answer: Edam.

Did you find these riddles for adults challenging and fun? Then why not use them to create party games for friends and family gatherings or a fun activity for boring road trips? Unlike board games, there is no setup or materials required. You just need to jolt down these riddles with answers on a paper and decide on the basic rules of the games. For example, the winner might be the person who answers the most enigmas correctly in a certain amount of time. To make it last longer and create a funnier competitive environment, you could turn into a competition of who can guess the answer first. We’ll provide the enigmas and you set the rules. Just remember to have fun!

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 8, 2025