1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

mysterious

adjective

mi-ˈstir-ē-əs How to pronounce mysterious (audio)
Definition of mysteriousnext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning the stranger's mysterious prediction

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mysterious Even in the telescope’s first images, astronomers could see a whole zoo of mysterious smears of light. — Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026 This tight, ticking-clock thriller unfolds almost in real time, with Gal Gadot as a fit lawyer whose son is kidnapped by a mysterious villain (Damian Lewis). — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 Continue reading … — 9/11 'last survivor' reveals mysterious encounter after 27 hours buried beneath rubble. — FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 But something else is going on now, something much more mysterious. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
  1. cryptic
  2. ambiguous
  3. enigmatic
  4. dark
  5. mystic
  6. obscure
  7. uncanny
  8. deep
Adjective
  • Seven months on, no one has been charged and, publicly at least, police seem no closer to solving what’s become one of Australia’s most cryptic missing-person cases.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Also at the 2026 Emmys, Roach shared cryptic comments about the marital status of his longtime client Zendaya and her partner, Tom Holland.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of cryptic
Adjective
  • The diabolical is ambiguous and often frankly sexy; the ridiculous is not.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Others require deep intelligence—analyzing complex financial information, generating code from ambiguous requirements or weighing competing factors.
    — Nitin Gupta, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of ambiguous
Adjective
  • In a deeply personal exhibition, the enigmatic French photographer Ilion Huit, who prefers to hide behind his Leica M6, unveiled to the world his most intimate interior musings in an exhibition at Icicle Cultural Space in Shanghai.
    — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2026
  • An enigmatic and alluring university professor (Moss) with a thing for younger men is among the local suspects, who begin to seem connected.
    — Jennie Punter, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of enigmatic
Adjective
  • Floor-to-ceiling glass walls let a lot of light into the space, which is decorated in tones of gray, with dark wood herring bone floors in the bar.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In its concluding episodes, the HBO juggernaut thrust an unearned heel turn on its female lead, rendered its climactic battle so dark viewers couldn’t see it, and ended over 70 hours of buildup with a rando on the Iron Throne.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • The mystic whine of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry’s score carries us into a hidden world of ancient Thai deities living inside the mountain’s caves and tunnels.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Such questions, in fact, may not be the right ones to ask about the man variously described as a teacher, philosopher, maverick mystic, and enlightened person.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of mystic
Adjective
  • This includes sourcing suppliers for obscure or discontinued parts.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The Venezuelan government granted an obscure private oil company, North American Blue Energy Partners, concessions to develop those reserves.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of obscure
Adjective
  • Their resemblance is uncanny; near carbon copies, some thirty years apart.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Images often associated with barbarism on screen, like beheading the dead to memorialize them, are approached with an uncanny gentleness.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncanny
Adjective
  • This appointment arrives as Nike navigates deep operational restructuring and severe market headwinds.
    — , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The work is meant to address the 3- to 6-inch-deep depression on Pocket Road, city spokesperson Carlos Eliason said.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of deep

Browse Nearby Words

mysteries
mysterious
mysteriousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mysterious. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All