Synonyms of mysterious

mysterious

adjective

mi-ˈstir-ē-əs 

1

as in cryptic

being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain

the huge stone statues on Easter Island are ancient, mysterious, and haunting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cryptic
• enigmatic
• mystic
• uncanny
• obscure
• dark
• deep
• unexplainable
• inscrutable
• murky
• ambiguous
• mystical
• vague
• occult
• arcane
• impenetrable
• confusing
• shadowy
• esoteric
• metaphysical
• fuzzy
• supernatural
• inexplicable
• incomprehensible
• unfathomable
• unintelligible
• darkling
• unaccountable
• unknowable
• imponderable
• puzzling
• unanswerable
• equivocal
• perplexing
• unsearchable
• baffling
• numinous
• confounding
• recondite
• abstruse
• mystifying
• bewildering
• disorienting
• befuddling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• understandable
• intelligible
• obvious
• apparent
• unmistakable
• clear
• evident
• plain
• manifest
• transparent
• fathomable
• unequivocal
• unambiguous
• straightforward
• palpable
• perspicuous
• open-and-shut
• patent

2

as in ambiguous

having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning

the stranger's mysterious prediction

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ambiguous
• cryptic
• enigmatic
• dark
• obscure
• mystic
• esoteric
• murky
• vague
• unclear
• inscrutable
• questionable
• opaque
• nebulous
• occult
• uncertain
• arcane
• deep
• equivocal
• Delphic
• confusing
• elliptical
• weird
• eerie
• complicated
• fuliginous
• shadowy
• uncanny
• obscurant
• inexplicable
• double-edged
• recondite
• abstruse
• fuzzy
• incomprehensible
• indistinct
• faint
• puzzling
• hazy
• shrouded
• disguised
• indirect
• difficult
• misty
• invisible
• masked
• cloaked
• foggy
• undefined
• complex
• undetermined
• perplexing
• concealed
• baffling
• unknowable
• indecipherable
• indefinite
• intangible
• muddy
• clouded
• dim
• shaded
• mystifying
• indistinguishable
• bewildering
• unanswerable
• inexact
• cloudy
• noncommittal
• impenetrable
• confounding
• sphinxlike
• unfathomable
• impalpable
• inappreciable
• inexplicit
• shadowlike
• obfuscatory
• circuitous
• obtuse
• befogged
• roundabout
• bedimmed
• beclouded
• obnubilated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obvious
• clear
• certain
• plain
• distinct
• accessible
• unequivocal
• unambiguous
• understandable
• evident
• intelligible
• comprehensible
• bright
• strong
• sure
• legible
• knowable
• direct
• nonambiguous
• firm
• exact
• definite
• defined
• explicit
• determined
• fathomable
• straightforward
• visible
• tangible
• pellucid
• self-evident
• self-explanatory
• appreciable
• unmistakable
• palpable
• blatant
• patent

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mysterious

Since the mysterious deaths of a husband and wife in the Medici family, a powerful Italian dynasty that ruled Florence and Tuscany almost uninterruptedly from 1434 to 1737, rumors have swirled about what led to the couple’s untimely demise. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

While preparing for a trip, he is rendered unconscious using knockout gas and awakes to find himself inside a perfect recreation of his own home, but this one is located in a mysterious settlement known as The Village. — William Worrall, Space.com, 15 July 2026

Stranger still is the fact these non-native fish have developed a mysterious ability to vanish for months at a time in Lake Gaston – much to the disappointment of anglers. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026

The character was known for his ambition and mysterious business dealings but also had a reputation for being unlucky in love. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026