enigmatic

Also enig·mati·cal.

[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: cryptic, baffling, puzzling

Other Word Forms

• enigmatically adverb
• nonenigmatic adjective
• nonenigmatical adjective
• nonenigmatically adverb
• unenigmatic adjective
• unenigmatical adjective
• unenigmatically 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

Thanks to newly discovered fossil bones, scientists have now been able to match an enigmatic 3.4-million-year-old hominin foot, first found in 2009, to a species that is different from the famous fossil Lucy.

Read more on Science Daily

The sculptures lovingly sanctify a keystone’s rational but enigmatic contradiction of mechanics and function.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bringing together archaeological approaches with scientific analyses can turn a single, enigmatic object into evidence that contributes to a broader understanding of the past.

Read more on Science Daily

Nancy Shear wasn’t yet out of her teens when she was hired as musical assistant to the eminent and enigmatic symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski, who became her mentor and a father figure of sorts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The BBC has investigated its history and it offers an illuminating insight into the enigmatic life of a shadow ship.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• ambiguous 
• cryptic 
• obscure 

When To Use

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.