orphic

adjective

Definition of orphicnext
as in mystical

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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 orphic Sonia Delaunay’s Electric Prisms (1913), with its titular nod to advances in electricity still relatively new at the time, underscores the decidedly urban tenor of Orphic painting in this regard. — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019 Readers mystified by any of the author’s orphic lingo will find full explanations in the book’s extensive glossary. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2018 As if fearing that too lyrical an approach to such an orphic figure would result in incoherence, Gooch describes this poet’s life in a decidedly unpoetic way. — The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orphic
  1. mystical
  2. mystic
  3. mysterious
  4. enigmatic
  5. uncanny
  6. inscrutable
  7. complex
  8. darkling
Adjective
  • Many have a searching, mystical quality, informed by her mixed African American, Irish, and Choctaw ancestry and her trips to Africa and Haiti.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 18 Aug. 2026
  • A lot of effort went into researching different mystical, strange calligraphy and all kinds of diagram stuff that are in that.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of mystical
Adjective
  • The piece, inspired by the 12th-century polymathic mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen, was skin-tinglingly breathy and slow, with long tones (played by Malone and her accompanist Stephen O’Malley) that rose up and swirled around the room.
    — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Poetry of a Hindu mystic Kashmir gradually became a predominantly Muslim society after the Shah Mir dynasty came to power in the 14th century.
    — Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
Definition of mystic
Adjective
  • Although the bars are not related, all three arrived on the scene under purposefully mysterious circumstances.
    — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Dodson update One of the mysterious developments Thursday was linebacker Dodson leaving the field after individual drills.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mysterious
Adjective
  • Joe is mostly effective as an enigmatic protagonist bordering on an unreliable narrator.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Her conversation consisted primarily of declarations, some more enigmatic than others.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of enigmatic
Adjective
  • Yesterday’s punk, grunge, and rebel-outsider upstarts have an uncanny way of evolving into today’s elder statesmen of respectable infamy.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • In Season 2, Armison played Max Sugar, a legendary gambling savant with an uncanny ability to read people like cards in the half-hour series.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncanny
Adjective
  • The sums are vast, but the explanations for the spending range from vague to inscrutable.
    — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The paper makes significant progress on an unresolved aspect of the inscrutable math equation that determines how the primes are distributed along the number line.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of inscrutable
Adjective
  • What is going right in Syria The legalities of transitional justice may be complex, but this verdict is still seen as a landmark moment for justice.
    — Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • But these are merely the opening chords in this complex orchestration.
    — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of complex
Adjective
  • Its 19th-century spire lit up like a matchstick against the darkling sky, its tip cracking and plunging through the ceiling.
    — Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of darkling

Browse Nearby Words

orphaned
orphic
orthodox
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Cite this Entry

“Orphic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orphic. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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