MYSTIFY Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

mystify

verb

ˈmi-stə-ˌfī

Definition of mystify

as in to perplex

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 mystify Fears of serial killer The unsolved murders at the time mystified Kansas City residents and fueled fears of a serial killer targeting people who used the area’s trail system. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 For years, Cole was mystified by a small, beanlike object with stripes which lurked in the background of certain drawings. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 The first feature-length Oz adaptation is a mystifying silent epic starring Dorothy Dwan as Dorothy and Oliver Hardy (later of Laurel and Hardy fame) as the Tin Woodsman. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 Most mystifying - at least to Washington - is the constant unravelling of Iran-US deals. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mystify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mystify

Verb

At Telluride, Fielder, who had initially planned to stay behind the scenes, admitted he was still perplexed by the couple’s openness.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
They were perplexed at first, flummoxed, but pleasant, and unfortunately for them, already long gone from the airport.

— Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of perplex

Verb

For months, Republicans have suspected that the second Dan Sullivan’s Senate bid was designed to confuse voters as part of a broader scheme allegedly plotted by the Democratic Party to boost Peltola’s chances.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
The possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not be confused with evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth, Kirkpatrick said.

— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of confuse

Verb

Many Eagles players were concerned and bewildered by the development.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of bewilder

Verb

However, having gone through this first season, many are now baffled as to how the algorithm works.

— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
But, about eight days before the election, when Acker heard that Stevens was thinking about switching her endorsement from El-Sayed to the Republican Senate candidate, Mike Rogers, he was baffled.

— Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of baffle

Verb

But what is puzzling is that the country’s leaders are not acting.

— Oliver Melton, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026
But doing so means obstructing the inner part of the corona, which harbors the most important processes that underpin the puzzling phenomena of the sun’s upper atmosphere.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of puzzle

Verb

Two weeks after befuddling football fans from Duluth to Daytona Beach, Texas PAC engineered an even more straightforward placement by snapping up a unit in NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026
For Bass, the program is evidence that her administration has made progress on an issue that befuddled her predecessors.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of befuddle

Browse Nearby Words

mystifies

mystify

mystifying

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mystify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mystify. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of mystify

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cockamamie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes