mysterious

Examples

• All

• Her mysterious smile left everyone wondering what thoughts were hidden behind it.

• And yet it remains one of the most mysterious things in our world.

  Harvard University

• So it's still a bit mysterious to me how this could work.

  Andrew Huberman

• We have got some mysterious object here.

• The Lord works in mysterious ways.

  Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe (2023)

• But would you look at that mysterious smile?

  The Month of August (2002)

• The ancient chants you heard came from this mysterious object.

  Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

• Beyond lies a dangerous, mysterious realm into which no one ventures.

• I couldn't wait to experience this mysterious tribal monument for myself.

• We know that preK-12 students learn and develop in mysterious and idiosyncratic ways.

  Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

S

strange

vsmysterious

∞ 2.3

Unusual and slightly odd in a way you cannot easily understand

implies a stronger, more puzzling obscurity rather than mere oddness

W

weird

vsmysterious

• Informal

∞ 3.2

Strange or unusual in a way that makes people feel uncomfortable

is about being puzzling without necessarily being odd or surprising

D

deep

vsmysterious

583 7.6

Hard to understand or explain

is mainly puzzling without stressing depth or intellectual effort

S

secret

vsmysterious

125 6.3

Hard to understand or explain

is about general difficulty to understand rather than hidden status

U

unexplained

vsmysterious

62 4.8

No one knows the cause

describes unclear cases that sometimes later get a known cause

E

elusive

vsmysterious

52 7.0

Hard to understand or describe, like the meaning of a symbol

describes difficulty to understand but can be more directly obscure

I

inexplicable

vsmysterious

47 7.8

Hard to explain or understand

is difficult to understand but may admit partial explanation

C

cryptic

vsmysterious

43 8.1

Hard to understand because it seems secret or mysterious

is about being hard to understand without implying hidden code

P

puzzling

vsmysterious

42 4.6

Hard to understand or explain

is more generally hard to explain but usually less actively confusing

O

occult

vsmysterious

35 9.0

Hidden from view and not easy to see

is about general puzzling quality rather than secret or ritual hiddenness

M

mind-boggling

vsmysterious

• Informal

31 7.0

Very surprising or hard to understand

is similarly puzzling but less focused on strong surprise

O

obscure

vsmysterious

28 8.2

Hard to understand because it is unclear or complex

is harder to understand because it often puzzles or defies sense

E

enigmatic

vsmysterious

27 8.1

Hard to understand and often seems mysterious

is hard to understand but can be less absolutely unknowable

B

baffling

vsmysterious

27 6.4

Hard to understand and causing confusion

is about being hard to grasp but may feel less impossibly confusing

U

unfathomable

vsmysterious

23 8.6

Very hard to understand or measure how deep something is

means hard to understand but may not be endlessly deep

U

unexplainable

vsmysterious

19 7.0

Something people cannot understand or find a clear reason for

covers puzzling cases that sometimes have possible causes

I

inscrutable

vsmysterious

12 8.9

Hard to understand because it shows no clear meaning or feeling

describes difficulty of understanding but can allow some explanation

M

mystifying

vsmysterious

7 7.3

Causing someone to feel confused

is about general obscurity rather than actively causing confusion

S

shrouded in mystery

vsmysterious

4 7.7

Hidden and hard to understand because it is secret

relates to difficulty of understanding without implying deliberate hiding

E

enigmatical

vsmysterious

1 9.3

Hard to understand, like a puzzle

is generally hard to understand but may be less formal

U

unfathomed

vsmysterious

1 9.9

Too deep or mysterious to understand

is hard to grasp but not focused on physical or measured depth

C

cryptical

vsmysterious

• Archaic

9.9

Hard to understand because it has a hidden meaning

points to puzzling quality without stressing deliberate concealment

U

umbrous

vsmysterious

• Archaic

9.9

Hard to understand because it is mysterious and unclear

is broadly hard to understand but less focused on shadowy tone

O

orphic

vsmysterious

• Literature

9.9

Mysterious and hard to understand, often about deep spiritual ideas

is puzzling in general rather than specially esoteric or symbolic

M

mysterial

vsmysterious

• Archaic

9.9

Strange and hard to understand, giving a feeling of mystery

covers the same puzzlement but without the expressive or theatrical tone

S

sibylline

vsmysterious

• Literature

9.9

Mysterious and hard to understand, like a prophecy

is puzzling without the prophetic or symbolic sense

Antonyms

C

clear

∞ 1.0

Easy to understand and not confusing

S

simple

∞ 1.0

Easy to understand or do

O

obvious

∞ 1.0

Easy to see or understand

How Mysterious

inexplicable

47 7.8

enigmatic

27 8.1

mysterious

498 5.1

strange

∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology