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

Keeping the doors open takes some decidedly less mysterious work, too. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026

At the meeting, Verity’s publishers and her real estate-exec husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), hire Lowen to ghostwrite the next few Noble Virtues books that Verity can’t complete due to a mysterious accident. — Fawnia Soo Hoo, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026

The mysterious absence The Chiefs opened the game with a surprise. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

But of the leaders of those three mega-bands, perhaps the most mysterious remains Pete Townshend, The Who’s songwriter and enigmatic eminence, thrashing chords and smashing guitars while Roger Daltrey handled lead vocals. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2026