Word.ws English Dictionary

head-scratcher

US/ˈhɛdˌskɹæt͡ʃɚ/

head-scratcher noun: something particularly puzzling or confusing.

Noun

head-scratcher (plural head-scratchers)

  1. (figuratively, informal) Something particularly puzzling or confusing.
    • Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher2007 December, “Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher”, in Daily News Tribune
    • "A judge will decide what is the most logical, although I'm sure to some judges [freezing the body] will seem like science fiction and a wild scheme," McDonald said. "Other judges make think this is a good thing. It will be a head scratcher for the judge."2002 July, “Attorney: Williams' Kids Near Compromise About Father's Remains”, in Fox News
  2. (literally) A device used to scratch the head.
    • Her aunt's husband or her grandfather brings a head scratcher. "If the maid scratched her hair or body with her fingers during these days of observance, her hair would fall out."2004, Kelley Hays-Gilpin, Ambiguous Images: Gender and Rock Art, →ISBN, page 133

Synonyms of head-scratcher

Forms of head-scratcher

pluralhead-scratchers
alternative formhead scratcher
alternative formheadscratcher

Origin of head-scratcher

From head + scratcher. Literal sense from 1873, figurative from 1971.

Questions about head-scratcher

What does head-scratcher mean?
Head-scratcher means something particularly puzzling or confusing.
What part of speech is head-scratcher?
Head-scratcher is a noun.
How do you pronounce head-scratcher?
Head-scratcher is pronounced /ˈhɛdˌskɹæt͡ʃɚ/ (US).
What is the plural of head-scratcher?
The plural of head-scratcher is head-scratchers.

Words near head-scratcher in the dictionary

  1. head-ramming
  2. head-ring
  3. head-rings
  4. head-scarf
  5. head-scarves
  6. head-scratcher
  7. head-scratchers
  8. head-scratching
  9. head-scratchings
  10. head-shrinker
  11. head-shrinkers

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: head-scratcher (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-head scratcher.ogg.

Cite this entry: “head-scratcher.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/head-scratcher. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.