A mystery is something that is not understood or known about.
The source of the gunshots still remains a mystery.
...the mysteries of mental breakdown. [+ of]
Synonyms: puzzle, problem, question, secret More Synonyms of mystery
2. uncountable noun
If you talk about the mystery of someone or something, you are talking about how difficult they are to understand or know about, especially when this gives them a rather strange or magical quality.
She's a lady of mystery.
It is an elaborate ceremony, shrouded in mystery.
Synonyms: secrecy, uncertainty, obscurity, mystique More Synonyms of mystery
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A mystery person or thing is one whose identity or nature is not known.
The mystery hero immediately alerted police after spotting a bomb.
...a mystery prize of up to £1,000.
4. countable noun
A mystery is a story in which strange things happen that are not explained until the end.
His fourth novel is a murder mystery set in London.
mystery in British English1
(ˈmɪstərɪ, -trɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-teries
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
Word origin
C14: via Latin from Greek mustērion secret rites. See mystic
mystery in British English2
(ˈmɪstərɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-teries archaic
1.
a trade, occupation, or craft
2.
a guild of craftsmen
Word origin
C14: from Medieval Latin mistērium, from Latin ministerium occupation, from minister official
mystery in American English1
(ˈmɪstəri; ˈmɪstri)
nounWord forms: pluralˈmysteries
1.
something unexplained, unknown, or kept secret
the mystery of life
2.
a.
any thing or event that remains so secret or obscure as to excite curiosity
a murder mystery
b.
a novel, story, or play involving such an event, esp. a crime and the gradual discovery of who committed it
3.
the quality of being inexplicable; obscurity or secrecy
an air of mystery surrounding the affair
4. [pl.]
secret rites or doctrines known only to a small, esoteric group; specif., in ancient Greece, religious ceremonies or doctrines revealed only to the initiated
5. [pl.]
any of the ancient cults characterized by such ceremonies
the Eleusinian mysteries
6.
mystery play
7. Roman CatholicChurch
a.
a sacrament; esp. the Eucharist
b.
any of fifteen events in the lives of Jesus and Mary serving as a subject for meditation during the saying of the rosary
8. Theology
any religious truth made known only by divine revelation and accepted through faith
SYNONYMY NOTE: mystery1 is applied to something beyond human knowledge or understanding, or it merely refersto any unexplained or seemingly inexplicable matter; , enigma specifically applies to that whose meaning is hidden by cryptic or ambiguous allusions,and generally, to anything very difficult to explain; a , riddle1 is an enigma (usually in the form of a question in guessing games) that involvesparadoxes; a , puzzle is a situation, problem, or, often, a contrivance, that requires some ingenuity tosolve or explain; , conundrum is specifically applied to a riddle whose answer is a pun, and generally, to anypuzzling question or problem
Word origin
ME mysterye < L mysterium (in N.T., supernatural thing) < Gr mystērion, a secret rite (in N.T., divine secret) < mystēs, one initiated into the mysteries < myein, to initiate into the mysteries, orig., to close: see myope; (sense 6) ? infl. by mystery2
mystery in American English2
(ˈmɪstəri)
nounWord forms: pluralˈmysteries Archaic
1.
a craft or trade
2.
guild (sense 1)
Word origin
altered < ME misterie, a trade, craft < ML misterium, altered < L ministerium, office, occupation (see minister), by confusion with mysterium (see mystery1)
COBUILD Collocations
mystery
complete mystery
eternal mystery
Examples of 'mystery' in a sentence
mystery
And having tested all of my senses against them, I surrendered to the mystery.
Robin Hobb THE GOLDEN FOOL: BOOK TWO OF THE TAWNY MAN (2002)
I thought it would add a bit of mystery to use the theme in my novels.
Anthony Masters CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2002)
It's not often I get a client with a genuine mystery to solve.
Val McDermid KICK BACK (2002)
PART THREE I would not, in these hastily written pages, presume to unlock the mystery of love.
John Colapinto ABOUT THE AUTHOR (2002)
In other languages
mystery
British English: mystery /ˈmɪstərɪ/ NOUN
A mystery is something that is not understood or known about.
Why he behaved this way is a mystery.
American English: mystery
Arabic: غُمُوضٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: mistério
Chinese: 神秘
Croatian: misterij
Czech: záhada
Danish: mysterium
Dutch: mysterie
European Spanish: misterio
Finnish: arvoitus
French: mystère
German: Geheimnis
Greek: μυστήριο
Italian: mistero
Japanese: 謎
Korean: 신비
Norwegian: mysterium
Polish: tajemniczość
European Portuguese: mistério
Romanian: mister
Russian: тайна
Latin American Spanish: misterio
Swedish: mysterium
Thai: ความลึกลับ
Turkish: gizem
Ukrainian: таємниця
Vietnamese: điều huyền bí
British English: mystery ADJECTIVE
A mystery person or thing is one whose identity or nature is not known.
The mystery hero immediately alerted police after spotting the thief.
American English: mystery
Brazilian Portuguese: misterioso
Chinese: 来历不明的
European Spanish: misterioso
French: mystérieux
German: rätselhaft
Italian: misterioso
Japanese: なぞの
Korean: 신비에 싸인
European Portuguese: misterioso
Latin American Spanish: misterioso
Chinese translation of 'mystery'
mystery
(ˈmɪstərɪ)
n
(c) (= puzzle) 谜(謎) (mí) (个(個), gè)
(u) (= strangeness)[of place, person]离(離)奇 (líqí)
(c) (= story) 推理作品 (tuīlǐ zuòpǐn) (部, bù)
adj
(= unknown, mysterious) 神秘(祕)的 (shénmì de)
1 (noun)
Definition
a person or thing that arouses curiosity or suspense because of an unknown, obscure, or enigmatic quality
The source of the crying remained a mystery.
Synonyms
puzzle
a word puzzle
problem
a mathematical problem
question
secret
The past is riddled with deep dark secrets.
riddle
a riddle of modern architecture
enigma
This country remains an enigma for the outside world.
conundrum
It was a conundrum with no solution.
teaser
poser (informal)
Here's a little poser for you.
closed book
2 (noun)
It is an elaborate ceremony, shrouded in mystery.
Synonyms
secrecy
He shrouded his business dealings in secrecy.
uncertainty
a period of political uncertainty
obscurity
Whatever its obscurities, the poem was clear on one count.
mystique
darkness
ambiguity
the ambiguities of language
ambiguousness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ambiguity
Definition
the possibility of interpreting an expression in more than one way
the ambiguities of language
Synonyms
vagueness,
doubt,
puzzle,
uncertainty,
obscurity,
enigma,
equivocation,
inconclusiveness,
indefiniteness,
dubiety,
dubiousness,
tergiversation,
indeterminateness,
equivocality,
doubtfulness,
equivocacy
in the sense of conundrum
Definition
a puzzling question or problem
It was a conundrum with no solution.
Synonyms
puzzle,
problem,
riddle,
enigma,
teaser,
poser,
brain-teaser (informal)
in the sense of darkness
Synonyms
secrecy,
mystery,
privacy,
ignorance,
blindness,
concealment,
unawareness
Synonyms of 'mystery'
mystery
Explore 'mystery' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of enigma
Definition
something or someone that is mysterious or puzzling
This country remains an enigma for the outside world.
Synonyms
mystery,
problem,
puzzle,
riddle,
paradox,
conundrum,
teaser
in the sense of obscurity
Whatever its obscurities, the poem was clear on one count.