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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, an Irish mapmaker and his family endure poverty and take strength from a connection to the mystic past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 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
“Must be some kind of mystic Underwood karma,” he said.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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
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
“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
Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday after catastrophic flooding killed 28 people last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
He was a sixteen-year-old Toyota Corolla with a paint color called Mystic Teal Mica and an engine that clanked in a steady rhythm like the beating of his immaculate metallic heart.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Over centuries, similar conceptions of alien harbors grew in the minds of mystics and scientists, sometimes leading to fatal clashes with dominant religious doctrines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Baba is a commonly used term in India to refer to mystics and religious gurus and also to fathers or grandfathers by both Hindus and Muslims.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 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
Ancient mystics tried to understand what is being.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2025
Not long after her twenty-first birthday, she started seeing mystics, conjurers, and Voodoo priests, all in an attempt to magnify her vision.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
