mystify

verb mys·ti·fy \ ˈmis-tə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 17 May 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

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

The Golden State Killer had mystified authorities for a generation, carving a trail of unsolved crimes across California that included at least a dozen killings and 45 rapes.

— chicagotribune.com, "A genealogy site led police to the Golden State Killer. Who else can tap into this DNA 'treasure trove'?," 28 Apr. 2018
Two people close to Kerry, who didn’t want to be named, said the former secretary of state is mystified that Joe Biden is surging in early 2020 polls in New Hampshire while Kerry is rarely mentioned as a potential presidential contender.

— annie linskey, BostonGlobe.com, "Could there really be five Mass. politicians running against Trump in 2020?," 6 Apr. 2018
Back in the 1500s, Johannes Kepler himself was mystified by the lack of a planet between Mars and Jupiter.

— brian resnick, Vox, "How Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss rediscovered a lost dwarf planet," 30 Apr. 2018
Experts everywhere, actually, have been mystified by this stone armor for some 40 years.

— carol motsinger, Cincinnati.com, "This wonder of the world is now in Cincinnati," 20 Apr. 2018
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

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

See Words from the same year