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
Maurizio Cattelan, who also wielded a banana with profound memetic effectiveness, is one of the few other artists whose work has this kind of stickiness, but his recent sculptures have leaned more on the public’s appetite for stunts, whereas Rødland plumbs more mysterious depths.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Two mysterious videos posted to the White House's official X and Instagram accounts on Wednesday night generated buzz online, with the purpose of the short, vertically shot clips unclear.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
At Art Basel Hong Kong, Asia’s biggest art fair, a mysterious AI agent silently observed passersby through two tracking cameras.
—Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest actress Hüller, currently on screens opposite Ryan Gosling in box office hit Project Hail Mary, plays a mysterious soldier who appears in a secluded Protestant village amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Two mysterious videos posted to the White House's official X and Instagram accounts on Wednesday night generated buzz online, with the purpose of the short, vertically shot clips unclear.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
At Art Basel Hong Kong, Asia’s biggest art fair, a mysterious AI agent silently observed passersby through two tracking cameras.
—Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest actress Hüller, currently on screens opposite Ryan Gosling in box office hit Project Hail Mary, plays a mysterious soldier who appears in a secluded Protestant village amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mysterious. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
