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.
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.
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
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.
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Other intellectual influences include Jean Grenier, who had taught him philosophy in Algeria, and his contemporary Simone Weil, a mystic and anarchist.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 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
Healy Lake members, Combs said, have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024
Alanis is interested in these mystic “slippery slope” moments, these big-ticket human crises that feel apocalyptic yet idiotic.
From Salon • Nov. 29, 2024
Another man with his hand raised said, “I heard the Persians hired one of those wandering mystic types.”
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
