mystify

verb mys·ti·fy \ ˈmis-tə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of mystify

mystified; mystifying

transitive verb

1 : to perplex the mind of : bewilder

2 : to make mysterious or obscure

mystify an interpretation of a prophecy

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mystifier

play \-ˌfī(-ə)r\ noun

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mystifyingly

play \-ˌfī-iŋ-lē\ adverb

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Examples of mystify in a Sentence

The cause of the disease mystified doctors for many years.
The magician has been mystifying his audiences for years with his amazing tricks.

Recent Examples of mystify from the Web

Worse, the executives in the corporate suite were mystified about their culprit.

— nick bilton, The Hive, "“Threats,” “Ultimatums,” and “Espionage”: Inside Silicon Valley’s Spy Wars," 13 Apr. 2018
For Chris, those difficulties come in all shapes and sizes: He's mystified by the weirdly ubiquitous phenomenon that is texting, and his criminal record makes it all but impossible to find work.

— justin chang, chicagotribune.com, "'Outside In' review: Ex-con falls in love with his careworn advocate Edie Falco," 4 Apr. 2018
For Chris, those difficulties come in all shapes and sizes: He's mystified by the weirdly ubiquitous phenomenon that is texting, and his criminal record makes it all but impossible to find work.

— justin chang, latimes.com, "In Lynn Shelton's moving drama 'Outside In,' Jay Duplass is poignant as an ex-con in love," 29 Mar. 2018
There’s the bitter betrayal by Judas, which has always mystified me.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Crucifixion still happening in the world today," 23 Mar. 2018
Even Barry seems confused by his unexpected longing to be part of this world, which both excites and mystifies him.

— brian lowry, CNN, "Bill Hader aims higher with HBO's 'Barry'," 23 Mar. 2018
Turns out plenty of us, including diplomat and British author Andy Scott, are mystified about the right and wrong moves.

— randy dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘One Kiss or Two?' author Andy Scott explores origins of greetings and cultural differences," 21 Mar. 2018
Only slightly less rigid is Erik’s wife, Deirdre, who fights an eternally losing battle with Weight Watchers and is mystified why her daughters would abandon their religion.

— david lyman, Cincinnati.com, "Review: Ensemble's 'Humans' is a remarkable night of theater," 25 Jan. 2018
Until Henry County finds out what went wrong, questions will continue to mystify Clinton and its 8,800 people.

— steve vockrodt and rick montgomery, kansascity, "The 911 error that led to an officer's death: Here's why call locations can be wrong | The Kansas City Star," 8 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of mystify

borrowed from French mystifier "to hoodwink, dupe," from Greek mýstēs "person initiated (into a religious cult)" + French -ifier -ify — more at ¹mystic

Note: French mystifier was used by 18th-century literati in the context of elaborate practical jokes in which some pseudo-magical procedure would be performed on the subject of the joke as a sort of mock initiation. Such a joke is described by the playwright Charles-Simon Favart (1710-92) in a letter of June 24, 1760, apparently the earliest known occurrence of the verb: one Poinsinet is persuaded that the application of a magic ointment has made him invisible and he then becomes the butt of various jests. According to Favart, Poinsinet was dubbed le mystifié (presumably, "one made an inititate") as a result of the jests, which he refers to collectively as la mystification. (See Mémoires et correspondances littéraires, dramatiques et anecdotiques de C.S. Favart, tome 1, Paris, 1808, p. 50-52.) The meaning of the English word has been influenced by ¹mystery, mystical, etc.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1814

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