mystify

verb mys·ti·fy \ ˈmis-tə-ˌfī \

|Updated on: 28 Jun 2018

Examples: mystify in a Sentence

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

See mystify defined for English-language learners

See mystify defined for kids

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

Nicholas Poehl, lawyer for Dmitrios Pagourtzis, says his family are mystified about his motives.

— shelby webb, Houston Chronicle, "Houston teachers to train for active shooters, discuss school security at summit," 5 June 2018
But the Maggiore killings are believed to be his first, and detectives who have worked the case for decades still are mystified by what triggered the slayings.

— marjie lundstrom and sam stanton, sacbee, "Rapes and burglaries had occurred. But this was the first time the East Area Rapist killed | The Sacramento Bee," 14 May 2018
At least a dozen and a half people have been diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer in two locations in North Carolina and Alabama, leaving medical experts mystified about the cause.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Auburn eye cancer mystery: Cause of ocular melanoma cases unknown," 1 May 2018
Despite Hogan’s crossover appeal, the majority of Democrats do not plan to vote for him in November, and many find the idea of supporting him mystifying.

— luke broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "Sun/UB Poll: Hogan is popular among Maryland Democrats despite Trump," 11 June 2018
Even Canadians now accustomed to Trump's complaints about Canada were mystified at the harsh comments from his advisers, comments that were clearly condoned by the President himself.

— paula newton and julia jones, CNN, "Canadians to Trump: Blame Canada, really?," 11 June 2018
The cold case that had mystified Omaha for five frustrating years was heating up.

— CBS News, "Was revenge the motive behind Omaha stabbing deaths?," 2 June 2018
Over the weekend, the hitters were mystified by the Cincinnati quartet of Tyler Mahle, Matt Harvey, Homer Bailey and Luis Castillo.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Justin Turner and Logan Forsythe return to lineup, but Dodgers still fall to Marlins," 16 May 2018
One of the simplest concepts in physics, dark matter can nonetheless be mystifying because of our human perspective.

— lisa randall, Scientific American, "What Is Dark Matter?," 8 May 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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