mysterious

[mi-steer-ee-uhs] / mɪˈstɪər i əs /

ADJECTIVE

obscure, puzzing, suggesting a mystery

Synonyms

STRONGEST

baffling cryptic curious dark enigmatic inexplicable inscrutable magical mystical mystifying obscure perplexing puzzling secretive strange unknown weird

WEAK

abstruse alchemistic arcane astrological cabalistic covert difficult eldritch enigmatical equivocal esoteric furtive hidden impenetrable incomprehensible insoluble necromantic occult oracular recondite sphinxlike spiritual subjective symbolic transcendental uncanny unfathomable unknowable unnatural veiled

Antonyms

STRONGEST

apparent bright clear comprehendible comprehensible evident familiar intelligible known normal obvious plain regular usual visible

WEAK

public straightforward tangible unmysterious

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Or is it simply about “trauma and the mysterious workings of the unconscious,” as New York Times critic Beatrice Loayza says?

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

From the friendly alien at the heart of E.T. to the mysterious visitors in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, some of his most celebrated films have explored humanity's fascination with life beyond Earth.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

His 2011 album, “Smoke Ring for My Halo,” brought him a wider audience, and at this point his music was slightly mysterious, his voice heavily treated with reverb.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Astronomers have traced a mysterious type of repeating cosmic signal to an unusual pair of stars, providing the strongest evidence yet for the source of one of astronomy's most puzzling phenomena.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

No one has called the Mona Lisa’s smile mysterious for hundreds of years.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Vocabulary lists containing mysterious

Purple Hibiscus

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Schooled

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