mystical

[mis-ti-kuhl]

adjective

1. mystic; of or relating to supernatural agencies, affairs, occurrences, etc..

   a strange, mystical experience.

2. of or relating to mystics or mysticism.

   mystical writings.

3. spiritually symbolic.

   a mystical vision of the hereafter.

4. obscure in meaning; mysterious.

   mystical circumstances.

mystical

/ ˈmɪstɪkəl /

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of mysticism

2. Christianity having a divine or sacred significance that surpasses natural human apprehension

3. having occult or metaphysical significance, nature, or force

4. a less common word for mysterious

Other Word Forms

• mysticalness noun
• mystically adverb
• mysticality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mystical¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; mystic, -al ¹

Synonym Study

See mysterious.

Example Sentences

What follows will touch on religious and mystical iconography — we’ll meet three lantern-carrying masked figures, for instance, with exaggerated, regal adornments as they herald a birth.

From Los Angeles Times

Solomon and Langdon’s search for the book lands them in Prague, a city with a long history of mystical exploration that stretches back to the 15th century.

From Los Angeles Times

The Fairfax Avenue storefront is surrounded by a kind of mystical energy.

From Los Angeles Times

But when the dance later reached the hands of a certain German father of 20 children, Bach made sarabandes of such mystical serenity that eros equaled the sacred miracle of new life.

From Los Angeles Times

Several of the awful things that happen to her aren’t mystical at all.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• esoteric 
• magical