cryptic
Americanadjective
-
mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous.
a cryptic message.
- Synonyms:
- enigmatic
-
abrupt; terse; short.
a cryptic note.
-
secret; occult.
a cryptic writing.
-
involving or using cipher, code, etc.
-
Zoology. fitted for concealing; serving to camouflage.
noun
adjective
-
hidden; secret; occult
-
(esp of comments, sayings, etc) obscure in meaning
-
(of the coloration of animals) tending to conceal by disguising or camouflaging the shape
Related Words
See ambiguous.
Other Word Forms
- cryptically adverb
- noncryptic adjective
- noncryptical adjective
- noncryptically adverb
Etymology
Origin of cryptic
1595–1605; < Late Latin crypticus < Greek kryptikós hidden. See crypt, -ic
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.
Her concurrence is too cryptic, though, to be of much use to lower courts trying to make sense of Gorsuch’s maximalist rhetoric.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
Alex Albon - 5 - Another tough weekend and some cryptic radio messages in qualifying highlight all is not well within the Williams camp.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
He approaches historical developments from odd angles as if deliberately trying to be cryptic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s cryptic weekend tweet has roused speculation about whether he is planning to build a semiconductor fabrication facility, or fab, something that costs tens of billions of dollars to build.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
Perhaps, after all, Kehaar had not understood his cryptic message that morning?
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
