mystic
1 Americanadjective
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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.
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of occult character, power, or significance.
a mystic formula.
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of obscure or mysterious character or significance.
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of or relating to mystics or mysticism.
noun
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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.
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a person initiated into religious mysteries.
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- antimystic adjective
- mysticity noun
- mysticly adverb
- nonmystic adjective
- semimystic adjective
- unmystic adjective
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”; myopia ( def. ) ) + -ikos -ic
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.
Myanmar has a rich culture of fortune-telling, and many believe the future can be discerned by mystics.
From Barron's
“No other community on the face of the globe has given rise to half as many mystic, philosophical, psychological, occult, consciousness-raising, therapeutic and alternative creeds as 20th century L.A.,”
From Los Angeles Times
Ancient mystics tried to understand what is being.
From Los Angeles Times
He was particularly intrigued by the school of mystic painters inspired by the West Coast’s landscapes.
From Los Angeles Times
What Lincoln called “the mystic chords of memory” will help hold stricken neighborhoods and neighbors together and will, over time, help knit together connections beyond roads and pipes and power grids.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
