demystify
Americanverb (used with object)
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demystifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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demystified,
past participle, past
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demystifying
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
demystifysimple
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demystifiessimple
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have demystifiedperfect
-
has demystifiedperfect
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am demystifyingprogressive
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are demystifyingprogressive
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is demystifyingprogressive
-
have been demystifyingperfect progressive
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has been demystifyingperfect progressive
Past
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demystifiedsimple
-
had demystifiedperfect
-
was demystifyingprogressive
-
were demystifyingprogressive
-
had been demystifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demystify
Explanation
To demystify something is to make it much easier to understand or see. Your favorite math teacher might be the one who manages to demystify calculus for you. When you demystify things, you remove any mystery or secrecy connected with them. You might feel the need to demystify complicated or difficult ideas, subjects, or tasks. A car repair class can demystify the idea of working on your own engine, and traveling to France often helps language learners demystify the French language. To mystify is to bewilder or perplex, from the Latin root mysticus, "mystical, mystic, or secret."
Vocabulary lists containing demystify
"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 24–September 30, 2022
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Women in Space
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The Art of Gathering” is trying to demystify how anyone can create meaningful experiences with other people without having to all be the same.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Since last July we’ve been participating in various efforts to demystify prefab housing for people in Altadena and the Palisades,” co-founder Caroline Paules said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Such emotional familiarity ensures that even a quick dinner over sandwiches in the park can provide us with conversational carte blanche, a space to decompress and demystify without judgment.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
In an attempt to demystify cancer checks and show the value of early diagnosis there will be a live broadcast from cancer clinics at Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth hospitals in Cambridge.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025
I wanted to demystify the ANC for them, to peel away their prejudices.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Using a term also demystifies it and gets them comfortable hearing it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
For the last two years, she and the Seattle-based retailer produced “Cook Out,” a video series that demystifies outdoor cooking and spotlights food purveyors from around the Northwest.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
By being open about her autism, Woo defuses and demystifies it for neurotypical colleagues and clients.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2023
In her new book, “Limitless: The Federal Reserve Takes On a New Age of Crisis,” The Times’s Jeanna Smialek takes on, and demystifies, the world’s most powerful central bank.
From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2023
On his website, he describes himself as a "visionary for the 'Now Age'" who "demystifies spirituality".
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2022
In 2006, Shelby told the American Enterprise Institute that having a white mother and black father has been a “profound advantage” because it demystified race.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Other recent studies have demystified the complexity of the feline mind, its behaviors and our relationship with them.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2023
By placing artists in service of public venues, both urban and rural, it demystified creative labor and brought local residents in dialogue with the insular community of artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
He also "demystified" State House, by opening it up for many people including children and celebrities to visit and look round.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2022
We had deconstructed the content of media's stories, demystified its modes of transmission and learned to do it all for ourselves.
From Open Source Democracy by Douglas Rushkoff
There’s something very powerful there: She’s demystifying a process that can still be shrouded in unnecessary secrecy, and making a choice many women have at least considered.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Social media is feeding into the emigration economy, with dozens of influencers demystifying the process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
"It's really important that the curtain is pulled back from opera, demystifying what the process is and the many talented people who put so much time and energy and their talents into making an opera."
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2024
He received many accolades in his life for innovation in learning, including a national award in 2019 given by President Cyril Ramaphosa for his contribution to "teaching and demystifying mathematics and science".
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2024
From Moses to modems: demystifying the storytelling and taking control We are living in a world of stories.
From Open Source Democracy by Douglas Rushkoff
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
