mystique

noun mys·tique \ mi-ˈstēk \

Definition of mystique

1 :an air or attitude of mystery (see ¹mystery 2) and reverence developing around something or someone

the legendary singer's mystique

the mystique of the liturgy

2 :the special esoteric skill essential in a calling or activity

the mystique of yoga

the mystique of hang gliding

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Examples of mystique in a Sentence

There's a certain mystique to people who fight fires.
No one has been able to copy the legendary singer's mystique.
the mystique of mountain climbing

Recent Examples of mystique from the Web

Adding to the Malek mystique, of course, is that fact that he's also confirmed to play Freddie Mercury, the British rocker with the four-octave range, in the forthcoming Queen biopic.

— lenika cruz, Glamour, "6 Inappropriate Questions for Rami Malek," 8 Aug. 2017
All of this has lent Thiel a certain air of rarefied mystique.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Report: Peter Thiel Is Souring on Trump," 7 Aug. 2017
Whether the Bezos mystique justifies Amazon’s stratospheric price-to-earnings ratio is another story.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Jeff Bezos Was the World’s Richest Man for Less Than Four Hours," 2 Aug. 2017
The most intimate way to engage with that mystique requires neither a tour ticket nor a scuba kit.

— chris mcnamara, chicagotribune.com, "A deep dive into Michigan's eerie, beautiful Shipwreck Coast," 18 July 2017
The mystique around the home run hitter proved tough enough and deep enough to survive even steroids and the fake, tainted, cartoon accomplishments of the Sosa/McGwire/Bonds crowd.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Home Run Derby, not All-Star Game, is real star of baseball’s midsummer break," 9 July 2017
This ambiguity of the collaboration, however, is precisely what maintains a thrilling mystique.

— sarah moroz, The Cut, "Maison Chloé Opens in Paris With a Show of Mischievous Fashion Photography," 7 July 2017
The impenetrable mystique that has been attached to his persona since the inception of his career is gone.

— michell c clark, The Root, "Rock Music Doesn’t Have an Age Limit; Neither Should Hip-Hop," 3 July 2017
Its current popularity stems in part from the mystique surrounding some of its impresarios, people like Big Moe, a water treatment plant operator who has risen to become something of a celebrity pitmaster.

— patrik jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ambassadors of smoke," 2 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mystique

French, from mystique, adjective, mystic, from Latin mysticus

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First Known Use: 1891

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MYSTIQUE Defined for English Language Learners

mystique

noun

Definition of mystique for English Language Learners

: a special quality that makes a person or thing interesting or exciting

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mystique

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