cryptozoology

noun

cryp·​to·​zo·​ol·​o·​gy ˌkrip-tə-zō-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce cryptozoology (audio)
-zə-ˈwä-
: the study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals (such as Sasquatch) usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence
cryptozoological adjective
cryptozoologist noun

Examples of cryptozoology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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With its mix of Norse mythology, eighteenth-century cryptozoology, nineteenth-century science fiction, and the biblical apocalypse, the poem tells of something tragic and mysterious lying just beyond the bounds of human knowing. Kathryn Hughes, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026 So Weird relies on mythology, the supernatural and cryptozoology. Keith Langston, People.com, 6 July 2025 Like its Enlightenment-era forebears, contemporary cryptozoology is rooted in that same hunger for strangeness, and for an enchanted world. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 18 Jan. 2024 Skipping cryptozoology’s usual sensationalism, Abominable separates history and folklore from hoaxes and fakelore. Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2013

Word History

Etymology

crypto- + zoology

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cryptozoology was in 1968

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Cite this Entry

“Cryptozoology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptozoology. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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