mysterious

adjective mys·te·ri·ous \ mis-ˈtir-ē-əs \

Definition of mysterious

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

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mysteriously

adverb

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mysteriousness

noun

See mysterious defined for English-language learners

See mysterious defined for kids

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 of mysterious from the Web

General Zia died in a mysterious plane crash in 1988, the year the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
Some people have never fully understood people’s fixation with Cthulhu, the mysterious, undersea, cult-inspiring, cosmic creature dreamed up by early 20th-century Rhode Island writer H.P. Lovecraft — and to be honest, neither have I.

— brendan kiley, The Seattle Times, "Performance picks: ‘Mud,’ ‘Fun Home,’ ‘Cthulhu: The Musical’ and UMO’s ‘Resistance Cabaret’," 19 July 2017
Besson’s film has, up until now, been a relentless blitz of action, as Korben follows the mysterious Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) across the galaxy to help retrieve mystical stones that will help her save the world from a great, encroaching evil.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "How The Fifth Element Subverted Sci-Fi Movies," 19 July 2017
For New Yorker Tommy Albright, who gets lost while on a hunting trip in Scotland, love comes in the form of a lass named Fiona MacLaren in a mysterious little town called Brigadoon.

— myrna petlicki, chicagotribune.com, "CenterStage Lake Forest presents classic 'Brigadoon'," 17 July 2017
But then, by the old gods and the new, a mysterious wrinkle appeared, Bookmaker reports.

— connie ogle, miamiherald, "People are actually betting on the outcome of ‘Game of Thrones.’ Is your favorite character the front-runner?," 16 July 2017
The Magnitsky Act is named after the Russian attorney who uncovered the scheme, Sergei Magnitsky, who later died under mysterious circumstances in a Russian prison.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Ex-Soviet Spy Confirms He Also Met with Trump Jr.," 14 July 2017
The mysterious deaths of the members of the tribe became one of the first major FBI homicide cases.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Dream Team Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio Are Making a New True Crime Film," 14 July 2017
This anger is mixed with a mysterious need to head into the woods late at night with the convent’s donkey.

— rick bentley, idahostatesman, "‘Little Hours’ shows nothing’s sacred," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mysterious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of mysterious

1578

mysterious Synonyms

Synonyms

arcane, cryptic, deep, enigmatic (also enigmatical), impenetrable, inscrutable, mystic, occult, uncanny

Antonyms

accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal

Near Antonyms

fathomable, intelligible, understandable; apparent, clear, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable

MYSTERIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

mysterious

adjective

Definition of mysterious for English Language Learners

: strange, unknown, or difficult to understand

MYSTERIOUS Defined for Kids

mysterious

adjective mys·te·ri·ous \ mi-ˈstir-ē-əs \

Definition of mysterious for Students

:strange, unknown, or hard to understand or explain

a mysterious noise

a mysterious stranger

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mysteriously

adverb

She mysteriously disappeared.

—

mysteriousness

noun

Learn More about mysterious

See words that rhyme with mysterious Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mysterious Spanish Central: Translation of mysterious Nglish: Translation of mysterious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mysterious for Arabic speakers

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MYSTERIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of mysterious for English Language Learners

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