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.

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Origin of mystify

1805–15; < French mystifier, equivalent to mysti- (irregular combining form of mystique mystic or mystère mystery1) + -fier -fy

OTHER WORDS FROM mystify

Words nearby mystify

mystical, mystical theology, mysticete, mysticism, mysticize, mystify, mystique, mysuru, mytacism, myth, myth.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to mystified

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

Example sentences from the Web for mystified

British Dictionary definitions for mystified

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