Dictionary.com

mystify

[ mis-tuh-fahy ]
/ ˈmɪs təˌfaɪ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR mystify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing.

to perplex (a person) by playing upon the person's credulity; bewilder purposely.
to involve in mystery or obscurity.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Often it means something is impossible.
It’s another way to agree with someone.
It serves as an apology.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of mystify

1805–15; <French mystifier, equivalent to mysti- (irregular combining form of mystiquemystic or mystèremystery1) + -fier-fy

OTHER WORDS FROM mystify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to mystify

confound, stump, perplex, puzzle, baffle, deceive, lie, lick, floor, beat, elude, trick, escape, hoodwink, throw, bamboozle, befog, buffalo

Example sentences from the Web for mystify

British Dictionary definitions for mystify

mystify
/ (ˈmɪstɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to confuse, bewilder, or puzzle
to make mysterious or obscure

Derived forms of mystify

mystification, nounmystifier, nounmystifying, adjectivemystifyingly, adverb

Word Origin for mystify

C19: from French mystifier, from mystère mystery 1 or mystique mystic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012