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 …—
Robert Houston
Robert Houston
mysteriousness
noun
Synonyms of mysterious
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
Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Hunted by pirates and imprisoned by corrupt officials, Rosalind’s only hope lies in Sean Fuller, a private military contractor whose motives are as mysterious as his past.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Nov. 2025
Flipping her hair and writhing around in pain and ecstasy, the singer dodges plates and cutlery that fly at her face while battling mysterious, paranormal forces that throw her around.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2025
Handcrafted from a solid glass block, the identity of the artisans behind these elegant and luxurious vases remained mysterious until the author of a recent study performed the simple gesture of turning a diatreta around while viewing the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
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Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Hunted by pirates and imprisoned by corrupt officials, Rosalind’s only hope lies in Sean Fuller, a private military contractor whose motives are as mysterious as his past.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Nov. 2025
Flipping her hair and writhing around in pain and ecstasy, the singer dodges plates and cutlery that fly at her face while battling mysterious, paranormal forces that throw her around.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2025
Handcrafted from a solid glass block, the identity of the artisans behind these elegant and luxurious vases remained mysterious until the author of a recent study performed the simple gesture of turning a diatreta around while viewing the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 16 Nov. 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 26 Nov. 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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