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
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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
1
as in ambiguity
the quality or state of being impossible to know, understand, or explain
the mysteriousness of the nocturnal noises evaporated with the arrival of daybreak
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguousness
the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning
the unexpected mysteriousness of the phone message had them a little concerned
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mysterious
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 July 2025
Little Shop of Horrors follows Seymour, a shy floral assistant who discovers a mysterious, man-eating plant that promises fame and fortune — at a deadly cost.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 23 July 2025
Few died, so the mysterious ailment was concerning but not alarming.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
Scientists will use this data to study dark matter and dark energy, which make up most of the universe but remain mysterious.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Adjective
The identity of the director is somewhat mysterious but is listed as ‘Bunny-Man’.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 July 2025
Little Shop of Horrors follows Seymour, a shy floral assistant who discovers a mysterious, man-eating plant that promises fame and fortune — at a deadly cost.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 23 July 2025
Few died, so the mysterious ailment was concerning but not alarming.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
Scientists will use this data to study dark matter and dark energy, which make up most of the universe but remain mysterious.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
Adjective
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Whether the pair will do more to promote the album than share cryptic corresponding Instagram posts remains to be seen.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
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Max receives cryptic messages from a woman on the Faceless Fantasies fetish site.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Automate routine monitoring, but require cross-functional review for ambiguous or high-impact alerts, providing clear explanations.—
Dr. Chiranjiv Roy,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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At times, though, there’s nothing ambiguous or veiled in his work.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Setting boundaries is further complicated by generational shifts: Younger employees, particularly Gen Z, also favor fluid boundaries and a flat hierarchy, sometimes intensifying the ambiguity around roles and expectations.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 July 2025
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However, inconsistent enforcement mechanisms, ambiguities in the statutory language and other limitations have attracted the interest of reformers.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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This enigmatic character used his power to control the time-stream in a post-Crisis on Infinite Earths scenario to create a smaller universe with only two populated planets: our Earth and Krypton.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
17 July 2025
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Other notable cast members include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Paapa Essiedu as enigmatic potions professor Severus Snape; and Lox Pratt as Hogwarts bully Draco Malfoy.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Transformed into a swan by the evil sorcerer Rothbart, Odette and Siegfried's love faces an impossible battle against dark forces.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
22 July 2025
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The other dark money entity paying for ads that promote a candidate is 5Plus1, which has been spending oodles on billboards and campaign literature mailed to Detroiters that promote Sheffield, the city council president.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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After almost two weeks planted on top of Netflix’s top 10 list, the Eric Bana mystery series Untamed has finally fallen to a new show.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
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But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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The man from Osaka’s right arm is almost mystic, like one of California’s solemn redwoods.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 July 2025
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Further projects include psychological thriller The Olive Press, set in the mystic world of the Druze community in Mount Lebanon, from writer and director Samah El Kadi, and co-written by Nadim Chammas.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Provider tax The bill includes a rather obscure change that could cost the state millions of dollars and, in turn, a reduction in services.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 July 2025
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In order to produce so many shows, Marvel had to mine the depths of its archives which led to productions based on obscure characters that many fans didn't care about.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mysterious. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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