sphinx vs actor

sphinx and actor both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sphinx	Yes	No	No	No
actor	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, actor is a hypernym of sphinx; that is, actor is a word with a broader meaning than sphinx:

Other hypernyms of sphinx include doer, worker.

sphinx (noun)	actor (noun)
one of a number of large stone statues with the body of a lion and the head of a man that were built by the ancient Egyptians	a theatrical performer
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret	a person who acts and gets things done