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

These highly autobiographical works draw on her Afro-Brazilian heritage, radiate with mysticism and focus on womanhood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Photographer Sebastian Pii is the perfect guide through the bewildering mysticism of Colombian writer-director Augusto Sandino’s debut.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025

But mysticism also holds sway behind the closed door of politics.

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

The claim went back to Pythagoras and Plato, but Renaissance Platonists had been interested in number mysticism rather than real mathematics.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton