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
In its time orbiting Earth, Hubble has shaped our understanding of the universe by observing the atmospheric composition of planets around other stars and even discovering dark energy – a mysterious force that causes the universe to expand.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Best known for its moai, the nearly 1,000 massive volcanic-stone statues carved by the Rapa Nui people centuries ago, the island has long held a mysterious pull among travelers drawn to archaeology and myth.
—Carla Vianna, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
Their luminous glow, ranging from the classic creamy white to delicate pinks and mysterious blacks, adds a touch of understated luxury to any ensemble.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
Sweeney shared the exact ring size with the mysterious contributor, who rushed to get insurance so the ring could be used on the show.
—Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Best known for its moai, the nearly 1,000 massive volcanic-stone statues carved by the Rapa Nui people centuries ago, the island has long held a mysterious pull among travelers drawn to archaeology and myth.
—Carla Vianna, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
Their luminous glow, ranging from the classic creamy white to delicate pinks and mysterious blacks, adds a touch of understated luxury to any ensemble.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
Sweeney shared the exact ring size with the mysterious contributor, who rushed to get insurance so the ring could be used on the show.
—Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mysterious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mysterious
Adjective
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But even in its most opposing moments, from its depths of disintegration to its peaks of pattern-building, Spirals/Viral has a cryptic unity.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
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George traces mentalism back to the Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece, who purported to deliver divine — and cryptic — messages from Apollo.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And that ambiguous statement raised alarms not just with workers but also with human rights groups such as Amnesty International, which issued a World Cup travel advisory for visitors planning on attending the tournament.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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The official public warnings for the next Soyuz rocket launch from Plesetsk were even more ambiguous, covering various periods between April 1 and 15.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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More often those concert performances help pump up a flashy, superficial look at an enigmatic artist whose closest connections were of the animal variety (Bubbles gets screen time; ditto a giraffe, a llama and a big snake).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Decades later, however, the origin story of these carbon spheres remains enigmatic.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But what exactly happens to these baby stars next isn't always clear (literally) because they are buried deep within clouds of dark, dusty gas that obscure them.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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All the bedrooms can be found upstairs, including one that’s currently being used as an office and a primary suite flaunting dual dressing rooms and baths, plus a sauna clad in dark gray stone.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The mystic chords that bind us together matter more than any policy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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Operating within those parameters, the mystic outlands trend extends to some of the world’s most mesmerizing corners.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The movie is available on YouTube, while the original documentary has been taken off HBO's streaming services until 2029 due to an obscure non-disparagement clause contained within a deal the premium cable service made with Jackson in 1992, as Reed told Variety.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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Human ears couldn't possibly distinguish the names of obscure songs in one bar's music round.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cameras now deploy ever higher frame rates, as seen in the uncanny sheen of blockbusters by James Cameron and Peter Jackson, and films are shot, shown, and restored on ever higher resolutions (4K, 8K, and beyond).—
Dennis Lim,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But for many, the occasion carried a deeper meaning, one centered on those who dreamed of connecting Los Angeles to Chicago by road generations before them.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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The songs were radiant, ecstatic, and cleansing, a deep exhale from a band freed from boardroom expectations.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mysterious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mysterious. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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