Dictionary.com

mystify

[ mis-tuh-fahy ]
/ ˈmɪs təˌfaɪ /
See synonyms for: mystify / mystified / mystifying / mystification 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

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In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?
Question 1 of 10
seclusion
a false belief or opinion.
the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.
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. 2021

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