Synonyms of mystify

mystify 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈmi-stə-ˌfī 

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

• perplex
• confuse
• bewilder
• baffle
• puzzle
• befuddle
• bemuse
• embarrass
• confound
• flummox
• disorient
• discombobulate
• vex
• bother
• bamboozle
• stun
• pose
• disturb
• muddle
• fluster
• fuddle
• addle
• maze
• rattle
• befog
• upset
• muddy
• buffalo
• fox
• unsettle
• get
• gravel
• beat
• disconcert
• deceive
• blow one's mind
• discomfit
• mortify
• stick
• agitate
• nonplus
• faze
• mislead
• stump
• distress
• perturb
• delude
• go to one's head
• beguile
• unhinge
• abash
• discomfort
• discountenance
• discompose
• disquiet
• misguide
• trick
• dismay
• fool
• hoodwink
• chagrin
• weird out
• dupe
• cozen
• humbug
• hoax
• snow
• take in
• gull
• string along

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assure
• satisfy
• inform
• reassure
• enlighten

mystifying

2 of 3

adjective

as in perplexing

Related Words

• perplexing
• baffling
• puzzling
• confounding
• bizarre
• strange
• bewildering
• shocking
• eerie
• remarkable
• unusual
• grotesque
• outlandish
• outrageous
• curious
• quirky
• funny
• quaint
• weird
• peculiar
• idiosyncratic
• out-of-the-way
• wacky
• kinky
• uncommon
• unique
• outré
• freakish
• atypical
• rare
• unnatural
• aberrant
• way-out
• marvelous
• queer
• prodigious
• screwy
• singular
• flaky
• far-out
• unwonted
• miraculous
• magical
• transcendent
• freak
• phenomenal
• unearthly
• wild
• transcendental
• uncanny
• supernatural
• superhuman
• queerish
• fantastic
• preternatural
• striking
• supernormal
• unorthodox
• unconventional
• salient
• conspicuous
• outstanding
• notable
• noticeable
• prominent
• uncustomary

Dissimilar Words

• ordinary
• typical
• usual
• prosaic
• average
• routine
• commonplace
• everyday
• garden
• familiar
• predictable
• unremarkable
• unexceptional
• workaday
• common
• expected
• run-of-the-mill
• frequent
• customary
• regular
• habitual
• wonted

mystifying

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of mystify

as in baffling

to throw into a state of mental uncertainty

we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code

Synonyms & Similar Words

• baffling
• puzzling
• perplexing
• bewildering
• confusing
• befuddling
• embarrassing
• disorienting
• confounding
• vexing
• flummoxing
• bemusing
• disturbing
• stunning
• discombobulating
• posing
• bamboozling
• flustering
• rattling
• muddling
• bothering
• upsetting
• fuddling
• muddying
• addling
• unsettling
• mazing
• befogging
• graveling
• getting
• beating
• disconcerting
• buffaloing
• foxing
• distressing
• stumping
• mortifying
• discomfiting
• blowing one's mind
• disquieting
• sticking
• dismaying
• discomforting
• perturbing
• going to one's head
• agitating
• deceiving
• misleading
• abashing
• discountenancing
• beguiling
• fazing
• unhinging
• nonplussing
• discomposing
• deluding
• misguiding
• weirding out
• fooling
• gulling
• tricking
• duping
• hoodwinking
• hoaxing
• humbugging
• snowing
• cozening
• chagrining
• stringing along
• taking in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfying
• assuring
• reassuring
• informing
• enlightening

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mystify

Verb

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

Adjective

Seehorn received a nomination for lead actress in a drama series for her portrayal of cynical Carol Sturka, a fantasy romance author who finds herself in a mystifying situation after a virus seems to have wiped out most of Earth’s population. — Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

The Mets’ continual snub of Hall of Famer Carter, a pivotal player in the team’s history as the first building block of the 1986 championship club, is both mystifying and downright embarrassing. — Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026

Verb

The film tells the story of her Hungarian family’s relocation to Vancouver Island during one summer in the 1990s, as her parents grapple with the worsening and mystifying behavior of her older half-brother Jeremy (Edik Beddoes). — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026

Franz Wagner, who missed 48 games this year with that mystifying ankle injury, finally started looking like his old self with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026