mystic
adjective
involving or characterized by esoteric, otherworldly, or symbolic practices or content, as certain religious ceremonies and art; spiritually significant; ethereal.
mystic
1 American
[mis-tik]
/ ˈmɪs tɪk /
adjective
-
involving or characterized by esoteric, otherworldly, or symbolic practices or content, as certain religious ceremonies and art; spiritually significant; ethereal.
-
of the nature of or pertaining to mysteries known only to the initiated.
mystic rites.
-
of occult character, power, or significance.
a mystic formula.
-
of obscure or mysterious character or significance.
-
of or relating to mystics or mysticism.
noun
-
mystics
plural
-
a person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining, insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy.
-
a person initiated into religious mysteries.
Mystic
2
American
[mis-tik]
/ ˈmɪs tɪk /
noun
mystic
British
/ ˈmɪstɪk /
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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mysticitynoun
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antimysticadjective
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nonmysticadjective
-
semimysticadjective
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unmysticadjective
-
mysticlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mystic
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English mystik, from Latin mysticus, from Greek mystikós, from mýst(ēs) “an initiate into the mysteries” (from myeîn “to initiate, teach,” akin to mýein “to shut”; cf. myopia ( def. )) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Look into my crystal ball; tell me what you see. If there's something about the future, something beyond human comprehension in there, maybe you're a mystic or someone who believes in supernatural realities. One of the most famous mystics in history is Nostradamus, who some people credit with predicting events like the French Revolution and the atom bomb. Whether you believe in mystics or not, the word is not just used to describe people. When something is mystic, it has to do with religious mysteries and practices or it simply inspires a sense of mystery or wonder, like the Himalaya Mountains, which some people consider a mystic place.
Vocabulary lists containing mystic
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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:
I meditated for 15 minutes, listening to a recording of the Indian yogi and mystic Sadhguru repeating: “I am not the body. I am not even the mind.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
It was this identification with Derbyshire that led Tutti to write Re-Sisters in 2002, which also focused on another non-conformist woman, the medieval Norfolk mystic Margery Kempe.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2025
He was particularly intrigued by the school of mystic painters inspired by the West Coast’s landscapes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2025
Healy Lake members, Combs said, have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2024
The door opened and the two armed men returned, between them the tall Talib in white, still wearing his dark John Lennon glasses, looking like some broad-shouldered, New Age mystic guru.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
The floods come a year after the region was ravaged by floodwaters over the Fourth of July weekend in a disaster that killed more than 100 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
“The word Mystic has also become a driving force of what this journey means to me,” Saleh says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Saleh created her brand Mystic by Esme in 2021, but it took her some time before she could gather the courage to try to sell them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
“Is Battleground Mystic multiplayer or one player?” said the kid named Miles.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
Such activities include praying to gods and deities, fortunetelling and physiognomy, and consulting spiritual gurus or mystics, according to party commentaries and state media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Formula 1 is about physics and not mystics.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
"They treat a whole host of maladies," said Thomas Patton, a professor at New York state's Union College who has studied Myanmar's mystics.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
In the cold dark of a November night, beneath the jagged cliffs of Zion National Park, Dani Hsia posed a question that mystics and religious thinkers have pondered for millenniums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2023
It is the story of the people who battled over the meaning of the mysterious number—the scholars and mystics, the scientists and clergymen—who each tried to understand zero.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
