mysterious
adjective
mys·te·ri·ous
mi-ˈstir-ē-əs 
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting mystery
the mysterious ways of God
b
: exciting wonder, curiosity, or surprise while baffling efforts to comprehend or identify : mystifying
heard a mysterious noise
a mysterious stranger
a mysterious plane crash
a mysterious illness
2
: stirred by or attracted to the inexplicable
… to help a mysterious wizard … ward off the end of the world with blood sacrifices.—
Robert Houston
Robert Houston
mysteriousness
noun
Examples of mysterious in a Sentence
the mysterious ways of nature
We heard a mysterious noise outside our tent.
He died under mysterious circumstances.
A mysterious illness has been spreading through the city.
There's something mysterious about that old woman.
Her behavior was very mysterious.
Recent Examples on the Web
Astronomers made the rare and extraordinary discovery of an interstellar object in our own solar system on July 1, 2025, sparking a scramble to study the mysterious visitor.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The plot centers around the mysterious disappearance of 17 children from a Pennsylvania town.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Design pros share how to elevate your Halloween decor with an unexpected color palette, small decor swaps, and moody accents that set a mysterious scene in a chic way.
—Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2025
And the book’s bracingly straightforward descriptions of often inexplicable behaviors and thought processes, become the hard, stark edges of a sculptural black-and-white photography that is all the more mysterious for apparently having nothing to hide.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
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Andrew Jones, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The plot centers around the mysterious disappearance of 17 children from a Pennsylvania town.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Design pros share how to elevate your Halloween decor with an unexpected color palette, small decor swaps, and moody accents that set a mysterious scene in a chic way.
—Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2025
And the book’s bracingly straightforward descriptions of often inexplicable behaviors and thought processes, become the hard, stark edges of a sculptural black-and-white photography that is all the more mysterious for apparently having nothing to hide.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mysterious. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mysterious
adjective
mys·te·ri·ous
mis-ˈtir-ē-əs
: containing, suggesting, or presenting a mystery
mysterious noises
also
: difficult or impossible to understand
the mysterious ways of nature
mysteriously
adverb
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