enigmatic

[ en-ig-mat-ik, ee-nig- ]

adjective

1. resembling an enigma, or a puzzling occurrence, situation, statement, person, etc.; perplexing; mysterious:

   She has a perpetually enigmatic expression on her face.

   This is the most enigmatic book I have ever read!

   Synonyms: baffling, cryptic, puzzling

Other Words From

• enig·mati·cal·ly adverb
• nonen·ig·matic adjective
• nonen·ig·mati·cal adjective
• nonen·ig·mati·cal·ly adverb
• unen·ig·matic adjective
• unen·ig·mati·cal adjective
• unen·ig·mati·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of enigmatic¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin aenigmaticus, from Greek ainigmatikós, equivalent to ainigmat- (stem of aínigma “riddle, taunt”) + -ikos adjective suffix; enigma, -ic

Synonym Study

See ambiguous.

Example Sentences

That endurance suggests that enigmatic structures found in the early rock record have a better chance of being pseudofossils, rather than actual fossils, the team says.

From Science News

He also was an assistant to Bobby Fischer when the enigmatic American player claimed the world championship from Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky in the dramatic 1972 match where the Cold War played out atop a chess table.

From Washington Post

In our paper about ORCs, which is forthcoming in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, we run through all the possibilities and conclude these enigmatic blobs don’t look like anything we already know about.

From Singularity Hub 

A genuine mysteryIn our paper about ORCs, which is forthcoming in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, we run through all the possibilities and conclude these enigmatic blobs don’t look like anything we already know about.

From Popular-Science

The skull fossil clears up a lot of confusion about this amphibian group’s lifestyle, Gardner says, but in other ways, albanerpetontids remain as enigmatic as ever.

From Science News

And, as the enigmatic front man to an avant garde indie rock group, he is droll, perceptive, and splendidly weird.

From The Daily Beast

Bolotov has been the most enigmatic of eastern Ukrainian leaders on this score.

From The Daily Beast

Unlike her children and grandchildren, she has kept the brand intact: ever-present, ever-smiling, but ever-enigmatic.

From The Daily Beast

Not since Gwyneth Paltrow's “conscious uncoupling” has one term been so intriguing, and so enigmatic.

From The Daily Beast

Betty Draper burst onto the small screen with an undeniable presence befitting the wife of the enigmatic Don Draper.

From The Daily Beast

Thurstane's blue-black eyes studied this enigmatic being steadily and almost angrily.

From Project Gutenberg

Shelburne, his former leader, he would not invite, for he could not endure his habitually enigmatic conduct.

From Project Gutenberg

At first they were covert and enigmatic, then merely ambiguous, and finally undisguised, and containing the bitterest reflections.

From Project Gutenberg

This young man was again the dark-faced, clear-eyed Roy, droll and dry, with the enigmatic smile on his lips.

From Project Gutenberg

The girl was an enigmatic creature, silent, self-absorbed, shrinking from the give-and-take of social life.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ambiguous
• cryptic
• obscure

More About Enigmatic

What does enigmatic mean?

The adjective enigmatic can be used to describe someone or something that’s puzzling or mysterious.

Enigmatic means resembling an enigma—someone or something that’s puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to make sense of. The word enigma can also mean a riddle, but it’s more often used to refer to something that’s so perplexing that it seems like a riddle (and perhaps was intended to seem like one), as in That book is completely enigmatic—I have no idea what it’s really about. 

If you call a person enigmatic, you mean that they’re hard to figure out—the reasons behind what they say and do are not easily understood. Some people try to be enigmatic to be mysterious.

Example: I’ve known him for years, but he’s completely enigmatic—I have no idea what his interests are or what he’s really like.

Where does enigmatic come from?

The first records of the word enigmatic come from the 1620s. It ultimately comes from the Greek ainíssesthai, meaning “to speak in riddles,” from ainos, meaning “fable” or “story.”

An enigmatic person’s personality is like a riddle. So is pretty much anything described as enigmatic—like an enigmatic film or an enigmatic statement. There may be a meaning or understandable pattern to it, but it’s not obvious. Sometimes, things described as enigmatic are that way on purpose, probably to add a sense of mystery or intrigue. Other times, things described as enigmatic are just naturally confusing.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to enigmatic?

• enigmatically (adverb)
• enigmatical (adjective)
• enigma (noun)

What are some synonyms for enigmatic?

• perplexing
• puzzling
• mysterious
• inscrutable

What are some words that share a root or word element with enigmatic? 

• enigmatize

What are some words that often get used in discussing enigmatic?

• riddle
• cipher
• puzzle
• conundrum
• problem
• strange

How is enigmatic used in real life?

When a situation or problem is described as enigmatic, it’s one that’s confusing or difficult to understand, like a riddle. When a person is described as enigmatic, it usually means that they’re hard to know.

I've just realised: a completely enigmatic narrator can disguise or justify all manner of authorial flaws.

Booker Prize, here I come.

— Jeffrey Boakye (@jeffreykboakye) May 4, 2013

Oh, german. Nearly understandable (to an English speaker) when spoken, completely enigmatic when written.

— Mimizu (@Dr_mimizu) March 28, 2010

Bernard Haitink: The Enigmatic Maestro, review: farewell to a true great https://t.co/vXQfvpLsN0

— Telegraph TV & Radio (@TeleTVRadio) September 26, 2020

 

 

Try using enigmatic!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of enigmatic?

A. mysterious
B. inscrutable
C. puzzling
D. clear