Synonyms for mysterious
- adjective
Most common
cryptic inexplicable enigmatic inscrutable secret hidden mystic unrevealed
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Enigmatic — difficult to understand
enigmatic, inscrutable, cryptic, inexplicable, dark, incomprehensible, unexplainable, mystifying, obscure, unfathomable, unknown, unexplained, deep, abstruse formal, unknowable, arcane, unintelligible, paradoxical, impenetrable, profound, recondite, unaccountable
2. Secret — deliberately evasive or enigmatic
secret, hidden, furtive, hush-hush, covert, undercover, concealed, obfuscated, unperceived
3. Mystic
Other
unrevealed, untraceable, unfathomed, quisquous rare UK
Definitions
- adj. 1
Having unknown qualities.
Our boss is a mysterious man who hardly ever meets with us.
- adj. 2
Difficult to understand.
Why he left without saying goodbye is quite mysterious.
- adj. 3
Deliberately evasive or enigmatic.
Stop being mysterious and just tell me what you want.
- adj. 4
Of unknown origin.
He received a mysterious phone call this morning.
Related words
- Word family
- mysteriously mysteriousness mystery
- Is a kind of
- unknown
Choose the right word
That is mysterious in the true sense which is beyond human comprehension, as the decrees of God or the origin of life.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- cryptic He spends a lot of time doing cryptic crossword puzzles.
- inexplicable There was something inexplicable about the story.
- enigmatic She's a strange, enigmatic and inspiring poet.
- inscrutable She looked at him with an inscrutable expression.
- secret Tom happened to let out the secret to his friends.
- hidden She has to keep her powers hidden from her family.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| mysterious | rising | |
| cryptic | rising | |
| inexplicable | rising | |
| enigmatic | rising | |
| inscrutable | rising | |
| secret | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- dark1, deep1
- 6 letters
- secret2, hidden2, mystic2, covert2, occult2, arcane2
- 7 letters
- unknown2, obscure2, cryptic2, furtive2
- 8 letters
- profound2, mystical3, esoteric4, abstruse2
- 9 letters
- uncertain3, concealed2, enigmatic4, undefined3, recondite3, quisquous
- 10 letters
- undercover4, unknowable4, mystifying4, obfuscated, unrevealed, unfathomed
- 11 letters
- unexplained3, paradoxical5, inscrutable4, untraceable4, kabbalistic, unperceived
- 12 letters
- inexplicable5, impenetrable5, unfathomable5
- 13 letters
- unaccountable5, unexplainable5
- 14 letters
- transcendental4, unintelligible6
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (secret2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- mystérieux
- Italiano
- misterioso
- Español
- misterioso
- Deutsch
- mysteriös
- Català
- misteriós