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enigmatic was our Word of the Day on 10/25/2012. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of enigmatic in a Sentence
Space seethes with an enormous enigmatic energy, and, each second, trillions of cubic light-years more of it materializes from nothingness. —Bob Berman, Astronomy, November 2007
You'll recognize them by their enigmatic smile and faraway look as they jog, skate, commute, or wander the aisles of the supermarket. —Consumer Reports, December 2005
Despite all that has been written—and surmised—about him, Bill Gates remains the enigmatic ringmaster of the digital circus. —J. D. Reed, People, 15 Mar. 1999
the discovery of the abandoned ship in mid ocean remains one of the most enigmatic episodes in seafaring history
the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile
Recent Examples of enigmatic from the Web
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The criminals who do the actual heisting — Baby isn’t really one for guns or blood — are a grab bag of addicts and psychopaths, all of whom are baffled by the enigmatic and mostly silent getaway driver.
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The truth is, detoxing is no miraculous, enigmatic process.
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After losing Timofey Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova in free agency prior to the season, Griffin was able to overcome a dearth of trade assets and acquire sharpshooter Kyle Korver, the first move to revamp Cleveland's enigmatic bench.
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One mystery, says study co-author Millard Coffin, a marine geophysicist at the University of Tasmania, is an enigmatic seafloor texture called a spreading fabric—
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Anjum’s story is fairly linear, but Tilo’s leaps around in time, keeping the reader in suspense about her enigmatic life.
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Ibsen's plays plumbed women's inner lives before the movies made worldwide stars of Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, and portrayed Scandinavian women as beautiful, erotic, emotional and enigmatic.
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Artists from around the world will pay tribute to their country's most beloved and enigmatic songwriter this fall.
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The result is an important breakthrough that establishes China as a pioneer in efforts to harness the enigmatic properties of matter and energy at the subatomic level, the...
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enigmatic'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Origin of enigmatic Isn't a Mystery
When it comes to things that aren't clearly understandable, you have a wide range of word choices, including dark, enigmatic, cryptic, and equivocal. Of these, dark is the most sinister, implying an imperfect or clouded revelation, often with ominous overtones. Enigmatic (which traces back to Greek ainissesthai, meaning "to speak in riddles") emphasizes a puzzling, mystifying quality, whereas cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning. Equivocal is the best choice for language that is left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.
Origin and Etymology of enigmatic
see enigma
Synonym Discussion of enigmatic
ENIGMATIC Defined for English Language Learners
enigmatic
playDefinition of enigmatic for English Language Learners
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: full of mystery and difficult to understand
Learn More about enigmatic
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See words that rhyme with enigmatic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for enigmatic Spanish Central: Translation of enigmatic Nglish: Translation of enigmatic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of enigmatic for Arabic speakers
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