mystification

noun

mys·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌmi-stə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

a

: an act or instance of mystifying

… our duty as referees is neither the denigration nor the mystification of the authors but rather their edification.

—William F. Pickard

b

: an obscuring especially of capitalist or social dynamics (as by making them equivalent to natural laws) that is seen in Marxist thought as an impediment to critical consciousness

… the mystification of the sources of wealth …

—Henry Staten

2

: the quality or state of being mystified

"Very much indeed; but that won't matter NOW." Miss Overmore spoke with peculiar significance and to her pupil's mystification.

—Henry James

3

: something designed to mystify

Synonyms of mystification

• confusion
• fog
• tangle

Examples of mystification in a Sentence

the new information did little to ease our mystification

an event that is one of the great mystifications in all of maritime history

Recent Examples on the Web

My friend repeated that sentence to me three times, each time with more mystification and pain. —Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025

This, in turn, does not sit well with Ellie, who’s embarrassed that Joel’s come to her defense, to Joel’s mystification. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025

Clark thinks part of the problem is the mystification of what happens inside the political arena. —Samuel J. Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 7 Oct. 2024

Industrial capitalism found its artistic disclosures and mystifications in realism. —Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "hoodwinking, trickery," from mystifier "to hoodwink, dupe" + -ification -ification — more at mystify

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for mystification

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration