1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
puzzled by the cryptic e-mail message left on his computer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the oracle offered only cryptic predictions that could be interpreted any number of different ways
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cryptic
Fans immediately took Brown’s cryptic social media as an informal trade request, prompting Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and Brown himself, to address his polarizing remarks and where the $96 million wide receiver stood with the team.
—
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
On Wednesday, Brown spoke to the media and addressed his cryptic post.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
A little farther on, Jon made a more cryptic remark.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
This is not a story to dismiss, and if there are people on edge about Brown’s cryptic message — whether inside the building or outside the building — then that might prove to be the point of all of this.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cryptic
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
On Wednesday, Brown spoke to the media and addressed his cryptic post.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
A little farther on, Jon made a more cryptic remark.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
This is not a story to dismiss, and if there are people on edge about Brown’s cryptic message — whether inside the building or outside the building — then that might prove to be the point of all of this.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cryptic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cryptic
Adjective
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Set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean at the height of summer, the erotic thriller follows Calvin Wells (Funk), a charismatic conman who sets his sights on Katrine Winters (Meadow Williams), a mysterious billionaire widow.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
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For an event celebrating a dark and mysterious being, the vibe is surprisingly uplifting.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Life is mysterious and ambiguous, and so the film to us, is a beautiful representation of that type of experience that is just not captured very often in movies.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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For over a century, the United States has coercively maintained the base against the wishes of the Cuban government, an arrangement prompting political and legal debates surrounding the territory’s ambiguous sovereignty.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This brings a strange boy (Jade Croot) to their doorstep who draws them into an enigmatic realm where the line between reality and myth begins to blur.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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In writer-director Christian Ditter’s glossy take on the fantastical story about the preciousness of time, an enigmatic red-haired girl named Momo (Alexa Goodall) lives inside the amphitheater of an unnamed European city (perhaps closest in look to Rome).—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This obscure rule bars federal funding for mental institutions with more than 16 beds, which critics say is a major barrier to expanding capacity.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
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But what these murky recommendations largely obscure is the data, which overwhelmingly supports the use of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, as evidenced by a massive analysis set to be presented this weekend at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Since signing to Matador, the band has sharpened its sound into a quirky, exhilarated alt-pop, too uncanny to be dance-punk and too lively to be slacker rock.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Smithsonian Institution, which includes all the Smithsonian museums, plans to go dark after Saturday if the government shutdown continues beyond then, according to its website.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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Polselli brings a painterly gaze to scenes of quiet dread, such as a figure gradually appearing out of thick brush as two women make their way home through dark woods.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Despite some promising high-concept notions such as an intergalactic federation, mystic beings, parasitic species, a sentient interstellar craft, and Slipstream FTL quantum mechanics, seemingly inevitable creative differences arose as the show progressed.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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In Completedworks’ spring 2026 presentation, the Texan actor and model took the stage as Miss Edie Grey, a television clairvoyant and mystic extraordinaire that can trace the history of objects with her magical touch.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cryptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cryptic. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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