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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David Standridge, chef at The Shipwright's Daughter in Mystic, Connecticut – a 2026 James Beard finalist for Outstanding Chef of the Year – is one of them.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
It stated that Mystic needed to identify an emergency-preparedness coordinator and asked for more specificity about staff roles in the event of fires, evacuations and other emergency situations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
It became clear that what at first appeared to him and his father as another of the floods that afflicted Mystic every few years grew inexorably through the night until it became monstrous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
On a recent spring day, the road that runs alongside the Guadalupe River leading up to Mystic was carpeted with purple wildflowers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
"I was going to have my own fortune cookies! A new website! I was even going to write a bestselling book called Mystic Marshmallows!"
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
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.
