mysteriously

American  

[mi-steer-ee-uhs-lee] / ˌmɪˈstɪər i əs li /

adverb

1. in a mysterious way.

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Explanation

If something occurs in a strange or eerie way, you can say it happens mysteriously. Your little brother might mysteriously disappear every time the dog needs to be walked, for example. When something can't be easily explained, it happens mysteriously. Some people say that boats mysteriously disappear in a region of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle, and others tell stories of sick people being mysteriously healed by prayer. At the heart of mysteriously is the noun mystery, which had only a religious meaning until the late fourteenth century, and which is rooted in the the Greek word mysterion, "secret rite or doctrine."

Example Sentences

The Rolling Stones have mysteriously released a new limited edition single on vinyl only, under the band name The Cockroaches, further fueling speculation the British rockers are poised to drop a 25th studio album.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

In 2014, the duo brought to the screen the epic story of Claire Randall, a British combat nurse who is mysteriously transported back to 1743 Scotland and marries Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser to survive.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

And yet I remained, daily, mysteriously incapable of doing so.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

This, too, is predictable, but it’s always a rough watch, whether it’s Ilia Malinin’s tumbles in men’s figure skating, or Mikaela Shiffrin’s mysteriously nondescript slalom run in the team combined event.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

He promptly took advantage of the windfall by purchasing a beautiful eighteenth-century Tassini viola, lest the money be snatched away as abruptly and mysteriously as it had arrived.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik