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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the stranger's mysterious prediction
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mysterious
Artemi Panarin missed nearly a week early in training camp due to a lower-body injury, then went back out for three days at the end of camp with a mysterious upper-body injury before returning to practice Monday.
—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
The inquiry into the mysterious phenomenon gradually unfolds into a cinematic probe of sound itself and its weaponization.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
But the situation changes when Cate suggests that the mysterious elderly gentleman being held at Cipher’s house might actually be Thomas Godolkin.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 8 Oct. 2025
Valentin at first doesn’t care but quickly becomes enraptured by the melodramatic story of a magazine fashion editor (Lopez), her assistant (Tonatiuh), a photographer love interest (Luna) and the mysterious Spider Woman (also Lopez).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
The inquiry into the mysterious phenomenon gradually unfolds into a cinematic probe of sound itself and its weaponization.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
But the situation changes when Cate suggests that the mysterious elderly gentleman being held at Cipher’s house might actually be Thomas Godolkin.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 8 Oct. 2025
Valentin at first doesn’t care but quickly becomes enraptured by the melodramatic story of a magazine fashion editor (Lopez), her assistant (Tonatiuh), a photographer love interest (Luna) and the mysterious Spider Woman (also Lopez).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
Adjective
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What role did the infamous and cryptic Bob Gray play in the story?—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Weeks before the actress officially filed for divorce, Kidman subtly alluded in a Vogue interview to what appeared to be a cryptic preview of the split.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Maybe the purposefully ambiguous coda was concocted to prove some sort of Rashomon-style truth-is-subjective point.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
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While the unfinished project remains ambiguous, the viewer catches glimpses of what the plot might have been about, where Jiang's character has grown from a wandering youth to a wealthy entrepreneur.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And with a new and enigmatic Duke at the helm, Tintagel is also facing an uncertain future.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Though the television show portrays Gein as a character so eccentric that townspeople don't feel comfortable sharing a nearby seat with him at the local diner, Gein was enigmatic but trustworthy to the locals in his younger years.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Kennedy sought the advice of doctors after dealing with severe memory loss and brain fog, reportedly leading to a scan of his brain that showed a dark spot in the imagery.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
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Instantly, her apartment faded away, to be replaced by a dark void.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This was the danger Madison considered — that mystic memory would falsely elevate the Constitution.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The obscure defensive lineman spent the first month of the season on the shelf, but after returning for the 27-24 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins, the former Alabama standout is expected to be a healthy presence in the trenches for the Carolina Panthers.—
Mike Kaye
October 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Oct. 2025
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Instead of invoking the Act, the White House is using Section 12-406 of Title 10, an obscure provision of federal law, to claim authority to bring in National Guard troops, NPR's Jaclyn Diaz tells Up First.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sigmund Freud defines the uncanny as the nagging presence of the familiar within the strange, the strange within the familiar.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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These are essentially gothic works, in which bleary, nocturnal isolation opens a door to bizarre impulses and uncanny transformations.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Driving through deep water can also negatively affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Oct. 2025
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mysterious. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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