mysticism

American  

[mis-tuh-siz-uhm] / ˈmɪs təˌsɪz əm /

noun

1. the beliefs, ideas, or mode of thought of mystics.

2. a doctrine of an immediate spiritual intuition of truths believed to transcend ordinary understanding, or of a direct, intimate union of the soul with God through contemplation or ecstasy.

3. obscure thought or speculation.

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mysticism British  

/ ˈmɪstɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. belief in or experience of a reality surpassing normal human understanding or experience, esp a reality perceived as essential to the nature of life

2. a system of contemplative prayer and spirituality aimed at achieving direct intuitive experience of the divine

3. obscure or confused belief or thought

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mysticism Cultural  

1. In religion, the attempt by an individual to achieve a personal union with God or with some other divine being or principle. Mystics generally practice daily meditation.

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Other Word Forms

• antimysticism noun
• nonmysticism noun

Etymology

Origin of mysticism

First recorded in 1730–40; mystic + -ism

Example Sentences

Hegel was a metaphysician whose insistence that Geist, or spirit, pervades the historical process and moves it to some grand culmination is difficult to distinguish from New Age mysticism, and hence charlatanism.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Jewelry sellers livestreaming on Taobao report surging sales of crystal bracelets and talismans, products that blend fashion with mysticism.

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

Set at Chiddinglye Estate, a 15th-century farm in West Sussex, England, the three-day event includes fungus-focused art installations, lectures and gastronomy; educational walks; and lots of music, mysticism and science—sometimes all three at once.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

Jones, who has lost both parents in the last six years, says she’s also been reading books about Celtic mysticism, sorrow and connecting to nature.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025

There was no counterbalance to stagnation, to pessimism, to the most abject surrenders to mysticism.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan