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
Elisa Lam was seen behaving erratically before her body was found in a water tank on the roof of Los Angeles' Cecil Hotel on Feb. 19, 2013
Comments
Elisa Lam’s mysterious death has captivated criminal investigators and internet sleuths for 12 years.
—
Alex Gurley, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
The discovery could explain mysterious signatures seen in gravitational wave signals detected by the Laser Interferometer, Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), and its co-detector Virgo.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
Beyond mysterious Gathering new data about Venus is vital, Garvin pointed out, so that the next wave of exploration is grounded in what must be done first as scientists attempt to further reveal our sister world.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2025
That gusher of findings will include new observations of exoplanets—or planets orbiting other stars; new surveys of the structure of the Milky Way; and new studies of dark energy, the mysterious, invisible force that causes the universe to expand continuously at an ever-accelerating rate.
—Jeffrey Kluger/greenbelt, TIME, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Alex Gurley, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
The discovery could explain mysterious signatures seen in gravitational wave signals detected by the Laser Interferometer, Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), and its co-detector Virgo.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
Beyond mysterious Gathering new data about Venus is vital, Garvin pointed out, so that the next wave of exploration is grounded in what must be done first as scientists attempt to further reveal our sister world.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2025
That gusher of findings will include new observations of exoplanets—or planets orbiting other stars; new surveys of the structure of the Milky Way; and new studies of dark energy, the mysterious, invisible force that causes the universe to expand continuously at an ever-accelerating rate.
—Jeffrey Kluger/greenbelt, TIME, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
Adjective
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Tell me more about the album’s title—is it supposed to be a little cryptic?—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2025
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Prologue was first announced in 2019 with a cryptic trailer that showed a first-person view of a storm crashing through a dark forest.—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The film has proven divisive, though, with some audiences puzzled by its breakneck tonal shifts and ambiguous ending.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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Trump has not commented on the military base plan specifically but delivered an ambiguous answer this week to a question regarding the use of private companies to assist with deportations.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Despite its enigmatic nature, Rafflesia species have long been used for medicinal purposes by Indigenous Peoples and, more recently, as a source of revenue generated by ecotourism.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Love planet Venus starts retrograding in your enigmatic eighth house on March 1, prompting a review of the hidden underbelly of all your closest bonds.—
Nina Kahn,
StyleCaster,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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An open-wide view is way more important than a dark sky.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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But doctors have begun to suspect that this year's flu season—the most severe in over 15 years—has taken a yet darker turn for children.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Healy Lake members have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions, according to Combs.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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After years in obscure so-so movies playing Chopin and Byron, and in some respectable Merchant Ivory ones, the surprise star of last year's Four Weddings and a Funeral and this year's Nine Months and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain has lately been having a bad life.—
Candace Bushnell,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2025
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Everything feels absurd and animated by obscure cosmic forces.—
Willing Davidson,
The New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Like a chameleon, the 5-foot-6 senior has the uncanny ability to adapt to any opponent, game situation or even time of year.—
Steve Reaven,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
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Daniels, who is 6'8 and enormously athletic, has already - at such a young age - found a way to bridge the two aspects, and combine them with his uncanny basketball IQ that takes into account timing, player tendencies, and anticipation.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Brody was last spotted in a deep bar conversation with Chalamet.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
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Several of those have also been targeted for deep budget and staffing cuts at the direction of the White House and its Department of Government Efficiency.—
Alan Neuhauser,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mysterious. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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