cryptic
mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous: a cryptic message.
abrupt; terse; short: a cryptic note.
secret; occult: a cryptic writing.
involving or using cipher, code, etc.
Zoology. fitted for concealing; serving to camouflage.
a cryptogram, especially one designed as a puzzle.
Origin of cryptic
1synonym study For cryptic
Other words for cryptic
1 | enigmatic, perplexing |
Other words from cryptic
- cryp·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- non·cryp·tic, adjective
- non·cryp·ti·cal, adjective
- non·cryp·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby cryptic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cryptic in a sentence
Neon’s somewhat cryptic demos showed off virtual, AI-powered avatars that were surprisingly convincing and conversational.
CES trends to look out for at this year’s virtual conference | Stan Horaczek | January 6, 2021 | Popular-ScienceSome people write love letters, some try to fool others into thinking they’re actually traveling, and some send cryptic messages anonymously.
Not getting any travel postcards? A project in Mali delivers delight — and a lifeline. | Bailey Berg | December 3, 2020 | Washington PostSearch engines can intuit what you’re looking for from a few cryptic keywords.
Data scientists are trying to make the internet accessible in every language | Nicolás Rivero | October 25, 2020 | QuartzThe cryptic message was accompanied by a change to Abovitz’s Twitter bio referencing something called Project Phoenix.
Magic Leap tried to create an alternate reality. Its founder was already in one | Verne Kopytoff | September 26, 2020 | FortuneAfter two weeks of nearly daily posts, he retired the project with one final, cryptic, self-written message.
A college kid’s fake, AI-generated blog fooled tens of thousands. This is how he made it. | Karen Hao | August 14, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Even as early as December 4, remarks from inside the bubble were cryptic and frightened.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack | James Poulos | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was like some cryptic English-Chekhovian figure, playing out the last days of his private, imagined Raj.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTKurant has crafted a new, cryptic narrative in which the three redundant characters come together in a wrecking yard.
I also think Damian Lewis's performance was stellar in episode after episode: vivid, cryptic, and (against all odds) believable.
‘Homeland’ Finale Shocker: A Death in the Family | Andrew Romano | December 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile her motives may be a bit cryptic, she's certainly embracing the silver fox look.
Rihanna Goes Gray; Donatella Versace Inspires 'Only God Forgives' Character | The Fashion Beast Team | July 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWith that cryptic message she ran back to the door, which was immediately slammed behind her.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThis query is no doubt a very correct and moral one, but it seems somewhat cryptic.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperHe does not say cryptic things or babble trivialities in the name of the mighty Dead—the mighty Damned or the mighty Blest.
The Affable Stranger | Peter McArthurAt the most he would fling out some cryptic hint, bestow some malediction upon life in general.
The Hidden Places | Bertrand W. SinclairThere were a few cryptic cautionary references to heightened physico-psychological effects.
Hunter Patrol | Henry Beam Piper and John J. McGuire
British Dictionary definitions for cryptic
cryptical
/ (ˈkrɪptɪk) /
hidden; secret; occult
(esp of comments, sayings, etc) obscure in meaning
(of the coloration of animals) tending to conceal by disguising or camouflaging the shape
Origin of cryptic
1Derived forms of cryptic
- cryptically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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