mystification

American  

[mis-tuh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌmɪs tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of purposely causing someone to be perplexed or bewildered by playing on their ignorance, gullibility, or naiveté.

   As a mask for banality or an agent of mystification, the word “dialectical” is really quite wonderful.

   The author put titles at the top of certain pages—in a spirit of mystification, I suppose, since they do not illuminate the reader.

2. an act or instance of making something mysterious or obscure.

   Rejecting any effort to understand Hitler or the Holocaust can lead to a mystification of the past that thwarts all efforts to learn from it.

3. the state of being perplexed or puzzled.

   I felt pretty silly when, after a week of mystification, my techie friend explained how the remote worked.

---

Other Word Forms

• overmystification noun

Etymology

Origin of mystification

First recorded in 1810–20; from French mysti(fier) ( see mystify ( def. )) + -fication ( def. )

Explanation

Mystification is a state of being utterly confused or bewildered. If you haven't been paying attention in calculus class, a difficult homework assignment will probably make you feel complete mystification. When something mystifies you, it is deeply perplexing — it makes absolutely no sense. Mystification is the result, a kind of dazed or discombobulated feeling. Your mystification may result from a philosophy book's obscure language, the fact that your friend just started speaking Urdu, or the mere concept that the stars you see in the night sky may not exist any more. The Latin root is mysticus, "of secret rites."

Example Sentences

Spending £8m on the unproven Chermiti from Everton is still a source of mystification.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

Nonetheless, the questions the audience asked betrayed a “Where’s the art?” kind of mystification.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022

You could hear the searching in his voice, the mystification over where all the fairy dust went from his swing.

From Washington Post • Jul. 19, 2021

Amid the wreckage, the artist is liberated from the mystification of “great art.”

From Slate • Oct. 17, 2020

The chaplain was shocked by his bellicose words and tone and, to his own amazement and mystification, deeply chagrined that they were turning him loose.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller