mysterious
adjective
mys·te·ri·ous
mi-ˈstir-ē-əs 
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting mystery
the mysterious ways of God
b
: exciting wonder, curiosity, or surprise while baffling efforts to comprehend or identify : mystifying
heard a mysterious noise
a mysterious stranger
a mysterious plane crash
a mysterious illness
2
: stirred by or attracted to the inexplicable
… to help a mysterious wizard … ward off the end of the world with blood sacrifices.—
Robert Houston
Robert Houston
mysteriousness
noun
Examples of mysterious in a Sentence
the mysterious ways of nature
We heard a mysterious noise outside our tent.
He died under mysterious circumstances.
A mysterious illness has been spreading through the city.
There's something mysterious about that old woman.
Her behavior was very mysterious.
Recent Examples on the Web
Scientists will use this data to study dark matter and dark energy, which make up most of the universe but remain mysterious.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
Here's everything to know about the teenager's final hours and the aftermath of her mysterious death.
—Alex Gurley, People.com, 12 July 2025
Modern courtship is already a nightmare, but director Christopher Landon (of Happy Death Day) ups the stakes when a woman (Meghann Fahy) receives a series of mysterious and threatening AirDrops during her date.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 12 July 2025
After making multiple passes near the USA 245 spacecraft, Kosmos 2542's sub-satellite backed off and fired a mysterious projectile in 2020 at a speed fast enough to damage or destroy any target in its sights.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
Here's everything to know about the teenager's final hours and the aftermath of her mysterious death.
—Alex Gurley, People.com, 12 July 2025
Modern courtship is already a nightmare, but director Christopher Landon (of Happy Death Day) ups the stakes when a woman (Meghann Fahy) receives a series of mysterious and threatening AirDrops during her date.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 12 July 2025
After making multiple passes near the USA 245 spacecraft, Kosmos 2542's sub-satellite backed off and fired a mysterious projectile in 2020 at a speed fast enough to damage or destroy any target in its sights.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mysterious. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mysterious
adjective
mys·te·ri·ous
mis-ˈtir-ē-əs
: containing, suggesting, or presenting a mystery
mysterious noises
also
: difficult or impossible to understand
the mysterious ways of nature
mysteriously
adverb
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