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The Mysterious Origins of Cryptic
The history of cryptic starts with krýptein, a Greek word meaning "to hide or conceal." Can you uncover other krýptein relatives in English? Not surprisingly, crypt, meaning "underground chamber," is one, as is the name of the element krypton. Krýptein also gave us several words having to do with secret codes, such as cryptogram ("a communication in cipher or code") and cryptography ("the coding and decoding of secret messages"). And cryptocurrency is currency that exists digitally and that relies on computer encryption (secret code) to prevent counterfeiting and fraud.
Examples of cryptic in a Sentence
Donna Seaman, Booklist, 15 Mar. 1994
Since Hughes's poems contained neither Eliot's footnotes nor Ezra Pound's cryptic orientalism, many critics and editors assumed the poet unintelligent and his work raw or, at best, slight.
—Rita Dove, New York Times Book Review, 9 Oct. 1988
The remark seemed cryptic to Philip, but when he heard her say it two or three times to different persons, and found that it aroused hearty agreement, he came to the conclusion that it was only obscure to his own intelligence.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
His instructions were cryptic. He said only to wait until we felt certain the answer was clear.
puzzled by the cryptic e-mail message left on his computer
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 19 July 2025
In the days leading up to the show, Tyler hinted at a surprise set for July 21 by posting cryptic images on his Instagram, including a Louis Vuitton bag, a mannequin’s head and a trumpet player in a band uniform.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 19 July 2025
The Wall Street Journal reported in the evening on July 17 that Trump sent Epstein a lewd, cryptic letter for his 50th birthday.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 19 July 2025
The Duchess of Sussex posted a cryptic post about birthdays on her social media accounts, prompting royal fans to see if the royal family is one step closer to reconciliation.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cryptic
Cite this Entry
“Cryptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptic. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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cryptic
adjective
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cryptic
adjective
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