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mystery

mystery

137 3.2
A book, play, or film about solving a crime, often a murder
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪstəri/
translation icon : novela de misterio
  • Ed Gorman is best known as a mystery writer, but he ventures into other genres as well.
  • solve a mystery
  • murder mystery
  • a mystery novel

I also like science fiction, fantasy, western, mystery, and historical stories.

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Examples

  • The detective worked tirelessly to unravel the complex mystery of the missing jewels.

  • - Guys, we have a mystery here.

  • If you want to write your own mystery series, read the ones that are already successful.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Perhaps you could help solve a mystery for me.

  • Her work includes two Victorian mystery series and a series set during World War I.

    Academic text (2008)
  • This season we look back at the greatest mysteries of crime in our history.

  • Jess Lourey is the author of the Murder-by-Month comic-caper mystery series, which began with May Day.

    Academic text (2011)
  • For the past 10 years, he has written book reviews of mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction for Kirkus Reviews.

    Academic text (2008)
  • She enjoyed reading a new mystery novel that kept her guessing until the very end.

  • In the film, the characters band together to solve a chilling mystery surrounding a haunted house.

Synonyms

whodunit
vsmystery
11 7.7

A story about finding who committed a crime, often a murder

is broader, covering crime solving or uncovering secrets beyond culprit identity
detective story
vsmystery
  • Literature
7 2.4

A story about a person who solves a crime by following clues

may lack a single investigator and can include other crime or secret plots
mystery novel
vsmystery
7 2.8

A book about a crime or puzzle that the reader tries to solve

is used for any book play or film with crime solving focus
detective novel
vsmystery
  • Literature
5 2.7

A story about a crime in which a detective tries to find who did it

does not require a single investigator character, only a crime or secret to solve
mystery story
vsmystery
3 2.4

A book, play, or film about solving a crime, often a murder

is broader, also including works that reveal other kinds of secrets

Antonyms

34 2.1

Books or writing about real people, events, and facts

Idioms

To make a difficult or confusing problem clear

Hidden and hard to understand because it is secret

Compounds

A story or film about a murder and finding who did it

A book about a crime or puzzle that the reader tries to solve

mystery meat
  • Informal
4 7.3

Food whose type or where it comes from you cannot tell, often served in cafeterias

A book, play, or film about solving a crime, often a murder

mystery play
  • Literature
1 9.9

A play from the Middle Ages that tells Bible stories, often about Jesus, performed for people

Buttons or links that hide their function so users must guess what they do

A thing that people cannot understand or explain

How Suspenseful

thriller
97 3.0
mystery
137 3.2
detective novel
  • Literature
5 2.7

Surface Forms

mystery singular
mysteries plural

Etymology

A mystery story gets its name from the same Greek root mysterion, which means 'secret'. So a mystery novel hides clues and secrets that the characters and the reader must find.