mystery

¹ American  

[mis-tuh-ree, -tree] / ˈmɪs tə ri, -tri /

noun

• mysteries
  plural

1. anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown.

   the mysteries of nature.

2. any affair, thing, or person that presents features or qualities so obscure as to arouse curiosity or speculation.

   The masked guest is an absolute mystery to everyone.

3. a novel, short story, play, or film whose plot involves a crime or other event that remains puzzlingly unsettled until the very end.

   a mystery by Agatha Christie.

4. obscure, puzzling, or mysterious quality or character.

   the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile.

   Synonyms:

   secrecy, mystique, obscurity, ambiguity, riddle, secret, problem, puzzle, enigma

5. any truth that is unknowable except by divine revelation.

6. (in the Christian religion)

   1. a sacramental rite.

   2. Eucharist.

7. an incident or scene in connection with the life of Christ, regarded as of special significance.

   the mysteries of the Passion.

8. any of the 15 events in the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary meditated upon during the recitation of the rosary.

9. mysteries,

   1. ancient religions that admitted candidates by secret rites and rituals the meaning of which was known only to initiated worshipers.

   2. any rites or secrets known only to those initiated.

      the mysteries of Freemasonry.

   3. (in the Christian religion) the Eucharistic elements.

10. mystery play.

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mystery ² American  

[mis-tuh-ree] / ˈmɪs tə ri /

noun

Archaic.

• mysteries
  plural

1. a craft or trade.

2. a guild, as of merchants.

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mystery ¹ British  

/ ˈmɪstərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. an unexplained or inexplicable event, phenomenon, etc

2. a person or thing that arouses curiosity or suspense because of an unknown, obscure, or enigmatic quality

3. the state or quality of being obscure, inexplicable, or enigmatic

4. a story, film, etc, which arouses suspense and curiosity because of facts concealed

5. Christianity any truth that is divinely revealed but otherwise unknowable

6. Christianity a sacramental rite, such as the Eucharist, or ( when plural ) the consecrated elements of the Eucharist

7. (often plural) any of various rites of certain ancient Mediterranean religions

8. short for mystery play

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mystery ² British  

/ ˈmɪstərɪ /

noun

1. a trade, occupation, or craft

2. a guild of craftsmen

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mysteries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mystery¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English misteri(e), from Latin mystērium “a secret,” (plural) mystēria “secret rites,” from Greek mystḗrion, equivalent to mýs(tēs) “an initiate (into the Eleusinian mysteries)” + -tērion noun suffix; see also mystic)

Origin of mystery²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English misteri(e) “ministry, office; handicraft, art; guild” from Old French mistere and Medieval Latin misterium, variant of Latin ministerium ministry, confused with mystērium mystery ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A mystery is something that baffles our understanding and cannot be explained. The giant slabs of Stonehenge, remain a mystery to this day. The noun mystery comes from the Greek mysterion, meaning "secret rite or doctrine." A great synonym for secret is enigma. We use this word all the time to describe stuff we don't understand, from crop circles and UFOs to the origins of the universe and the workings of the human brain. In literature, drama, and film, a mystery is a story that centers around a crime, usually murder, which finally gets solved at the very end.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mystery mysteries

We usually value landscapes for what we can see, but, as Ms. Turetsky shows, much of the richness and mystery of boglands is underground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

By solving the mystery of chirality, Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai worked out how to design chemical reactions to produce much more of the desired version of a molecule.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The discovery of pottery decorated in Mississippian styles only deepened the mystery.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Along with being an origin story and an alien hunt unfurling in a 2016-set timeline, “Lanterns” grounds itself in a murder mystery that defines its 2026 plot running in parallel.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

I’m mighty grateful for your help piecing together this mystery.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

An insatiable curiosity about the world and the principles by which it operates, a hunger to know the mysteries of nature and grasp the secrets of the cosmos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Those from deeper in space carry clues about cosmic mysteries, like the supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Contemplate life’s mysteries: The Explainer was a longtime Slate column that answered readers’ burning questions about the world.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

Also, live demonstrations of Nikola Tesla’s lightning machine, magic and talks, one featuring a chief engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory that’ll delve into the mysteries of the universe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Joe liked solving mysteries, but he hated taking notes.

From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Related Words

• conundrum
• enigma
• problem
• question
• riddle
• secrecy
• subtlety
• thriller