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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mysterious
For those of you who missed (or avoided) The Substance, the plot involves an aging celebrity (Moore) who injects herself with a mysterious chemical cocktail to become a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley).
—
Valerie Monroe, Allure, 3 Mar. 2025
Taking cues from the Stephen King short story of the same name, the film tracks the unfortunate lives of twin brothers who discover a mysterious wind-up monkey that can cause outrageous deaths at random.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025
In some ways, his mysterious but quiet death was the final chapter for a man for whom acting had seemed a distant reality, and shyness part of his demeanor.
—Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Days after Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found deceased inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, authorities continue to piece together a possible timeline to explain the couple's mysterious deaths.
—Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Valerie Monroe, Allure, 3 Mar. 2025
Taking cues from the Stephen King short story of the same name, the film tracks the unfortunate lives of twin brothers who discover a mysterious wind-up monkey that can cause outrageous deaths at random.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025
In some ways, his mysterious but quiet death was the final chapter for a man for whom acting had seemed a distant reality, and shyness part of his demeanor.
—Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Days after Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found deceased inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, authorities continue to piece together a possible timeline to explain the couple's mysterious deaths.
—Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
Adjective
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Women possessed by the gods were oracles, predicting the future in cryptic utterances.—
Vipin Bharathan,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
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Escher String Quartet Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road, Storrs The Escher String Quartet, named for the cryptic artist M.C. Escher, performs pieces by Ravel, Mendelssohn and Mozart on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. $39, $37 seniors, free for students and youth.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 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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Presiding over this enigmatic establishment is La Flaca, the city’s Grim Reaper, who challenges patrons to gamble years of their lives in hopes of altering their destinies.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
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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The disruptions in flow call to mind the format of Be My Guest With Ina Garten, in which Ina both preps for a guest as well as cooks with them, but Meghan’s uncanny flashbacks somehow further untether the show from the reality of her not-kitchen.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
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Reality Blues wades into the mysteries of our uncanny world, trying to catch a vibe.—
Meaghan Garvey,
Pitchfork,
6 Mar. 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 13 Mar. 2025.
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