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
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2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the stranger's mysterious prediction
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Recent Examples of mysterious
But the true paranoia is saved for the mysterious, primate-like species called ochi, beasts that once again evade a nighttime hunt led by Yuri’s father, ludicrously armor-accessorized like a cosplay centurion, leading a posse of rifle-wielding boys from the area.
—
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
But the site’s most famous find is a mysterious green gadget: the Antikythera mechanism.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Then a mysterious luchador named El Grande Americano, who looked like and wrestled like Gable (except under a mask), made his debut and began defeating the WWE’s luchadors through nefarious means.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2025
Apart is on its way — and has quite the mysterious cover to match.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
But the site’s most famous find is a mysterious green gadget: the Antikythera mechanism.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Then a mysterious luchador named El Grande Americano, who looked like and wrestled like Gable (except under a mask), made his debut and began defeating the WWE’s luchadors through nefarious means.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2025
Apart is on its way — and has quite the mysterious cover to match.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
Adjective
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Generally, when a player makes a cryptic social media post ...—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
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Pittsburgh Steelers four-time All-pro defensive end T.J. Watt had a cryptic post on his Instagram account that had the NFL world in a social media frenzy.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the scene itself could be read as a little ambiguous, too: is Sammie trying to pierce the veil again, playing a song that could both foster community but also bring back the vampires?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
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As the days turned into weeks, the reality of her situation remained ambiguous.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These enigmatic paintings are inspired by Edvard Munch and William Blake: After Munch: Less is Known than People Think, 2023, and After Blake: Less is Known than People Think, 2024, in which astronomy, history and geography cross paths with spirituality, according to the artist.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Other notable roles for Chastain include playing astronaut Melissa Lewis in The Martian, the enigmatic Murph in Interstellar and real-life figure Molly Bloom in Molly’s Game.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Editor’s tip: Niacinamide is a multitasker that blurs the look of dark spots, evens your skin tone, and balances your complexion.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
15 Apr. 2025
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And so by some sociologists, camp is thought to be this form of dark humor serving as a coping mechanism to historical marginalization.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Those attributed to Jesus—described in language nearly identical to accounts of the Greek mystic and holy man Apollonius of Tyana, say—are neither more nor less convincing than others.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
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Founded on the ethos of art as a form of mystic healing, the label reimagines the family heirloom—and invites its patrons to examine their relationship with objects.—
Nia Shumake,
Essence,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That included obscure cold opens and immersive world-building.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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But his recitation of Black Americans’ names also revealed that they were heavily weighted toward athletes and performers like Jackie Robinson and Aretha Franklin (on a list that includes relatively obscure conservative white thinkers such as Whittaker Chambers and Clare Boothe Luce).—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For example, Cindy Bi, has developed a reputation for her uncanny ability to spot unicorns early, backing 14 billion dollar companies, 12 of them from seed stage.—
Dasha Shunina,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Green Day has the uncanny ability to make every song sound like a hit, regardless of its initial impact.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That conversation opened up deeper discussions about beauty standards, authenticity, and the pressure women face to conform.—
Liz Krieger,
Allure,
15 Apr. 2025
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This deeper level of engagement not only informs new office designs but can increases employees’ sense of ownership of it.—
Ryan Anderson,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mysterious. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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