mystify

[ mis-tuh-fahy ]

/ ˈmɪs təˌfaɪ /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR mystify

1 fool, mislead, elude, puzzle.

See synonyms for mystify on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of mystify

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

OTHER WORDS FROM mystify

mys·ti·fi·ca·tion, nounmys·ti·fied·ly, adverbmys·ti·fi·er, nounmys·ti·fy·ing·ly, adverb

o·ver·mys·ti·fi·ca·tion, nouno·ver·mys·ti·fy, verb (used with object), o·ver·mys·ti·fied, o·ver·mys·ti·fy·ing.un·mys·ti·fied, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mystify in a sentence

Striving to be evocatively mysterious, Eyrie is in the end merely mystifying.
Tim Winton's Beautiful, Baffling 'Eyrie'|Wendy Smith|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the wild weather to the harsh landscape, Iceland has its fair share of mystifying phenomena.
The Elf Whisperer of Iceland|Kevin Fallon|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Drake found the statements Chesapeake mailed him each month mystifying.
How the Kings of Fracking Double-Crossed Their Way to Riches|ProPublica|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The busy hostile world outside is mystifying and a little unreal.
My Week At An Austrian Fat Camp|Owen Matthews|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Why Beinart would purposely misrepresent these commonly known facts is mystifying.
Peter Beinart’s Bias Against Me, Cory Booker, and Israel|Rabbi Shmuley Boteach|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
False gods, whatever degree of godhead they usurped, had for a time the mystifying power of concealing their falsehood.
Jaffery|William J. Locke
It can only mislead and mystify and the greater part of the literature is a mere jumble of inaccurate and mystifying statements.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
When she was weary of mystifying foreign statesmen she turned to find fresh sport in mystifying her own ministers.
History of the English People|John Richard Green
Hume wished to amuse himself with mystifying his friends about the pamphlet above alluded to, called Sister Peg.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume II (of 2)|John Hill Burton
On the whole, the subject of the singer's muscular sensations is usually rather mystifying to the student.
The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor

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

mystify

OTHER WORDS FOR mystify

Origin of mystify

OTHER WORDS FROM mystify

Words related to mystify

How to use mystify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mystify

Derived forms of mystify

Word Origin for mystify