mystical
Americanadjective
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relating to or characteristic of mysticism
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Christianity having a divine or sacred significance that surpasses natural human apprehension
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having occult or metaphysical significance, nature, or force
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a less common word for mysterious
Synonym Usage
See mysterious.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mystical
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; see mystic, -al 1
Explanation
Things that are mystical are magical or mysterious, possibly having to do with the supernatural or the occult. If you like to read fantasy stories, then you've probably read about a lot of mystical people and events. The power of a wizard is mystical — that is, magical, and not real. Witches are mystical. The unicorn is a mystical animal. Religions tend to involve mystical events, like miracles. Magicians try to make audiences believe they have mystical powers. Mystical things aren't real, but in a story or magic act, they can be fun to imagine.
Vocabulary lists containing mystical
Night
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Sugar Changed the World
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The Last Olympian
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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.
Kim Sieb, a former national park ranger turned vortex tour guide and spiritual healer, became the owner of Sedona Mystical Tours in 2020 after the former owner approached her at a trailside parking lot.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2023
Created by Grace Galu, a magnetic, powerhouse vocalist whose character here is called Sativa Diva, and Baba Israel, who conceived the show and serves as its Magical Mystical M.C.,
From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2022
Fahima Mirzaie founded a mixed-gender Sufi dance and performing arts group called Shohood Cultural and Mystical Organization, which means The Intuition of Mystics.
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2021
Mystical experiences, as defined by William James in The Varieties of Religious Experience, possess two seemingly contradictory properties.
From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2020
Mystical; having a secondary spiritual meaning; as, the rest of the Sabbath, in an anagogical sense, signifies the repose of the saints in heaven; an anagogical explication.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah
Definitions 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.
