mystique
Americannoun
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a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning.
the mystique of Poe.
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an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit.
the mystique of nuclear science.
noun
Etymology
Origin of mystique
1890–95; < French (adj.); see mystic
Explanation
An air of mystery around someone gives that person a certain mystique, like your glamorous next door neighbor who's rumored to work for the CIA. The noun mystique is good for describing someone you find fascinating, like your beautiful and mysterious French teacher with that special mystique. A place or an object can also be described this way; many travelers are attracted to India's mystique, for example. The root of mystique is thought to be the Greek word mystikos, "secret or mystic."
Vocabulary lists containing mystique
This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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English Words Derived from French, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That was part of Federer’s tennis mystique: the elegant, imperturbable calm, the way he almost never let the pressure boil and send him over the edge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
And then they were gone, leaving a sense of wonder and mystique in their wake that remains unparalleled in the annals of popular music — perhaps even for the whole of Western art.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
“It has a West Hollywood mystique, like Chateau Marmont — like when Hollywood, the place and the business were all the same.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Strip away the mystique and the Greenspan put merely resembles a sensible response to prevailing economic conditions, just as a simple rule designed to account for inflation and growth forecasts would predict.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Roqui Pearce, who had graduated from Permian in 1988 and was going out with starting defensive cornerback Coddi Dean, said there was definitely a mystique in the school about dating a Permian football player.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
