mystify

verb

mys·ti·fy ˈmi-stə-ˌfī How to pronounce mystify (audio)

mystified; mystifying

transitive verb

: to perplex the mind of : bewilder

: to make mysterious or obscure

mystify an interpretation of a prophecy

mystifier

ˈmi-stə-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce mystify (audio)

noun

mystifyingly

ˈmi-stə-ˌfī-iŋ-lē How to pronounce mystify (audio)

adverb

Example Sentences

The cause of the disease mystified doctors for many years. The magician has been mystifying his audiences for years with his amazing tricks.

Recent Examples on the Web The cases, which have been discovered in at least 20 countries, continue to mystify scientists, who have been unable to pinpoint the cause.

Frances Stead Sellers And Katie Shepherd, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2022 While bright lights, glamorous fashion, and cheering fans are all hallmarks of a walk down the red carpet, Oscars beauty secrets continue to mystify us, each star’s glowing complexion more blinding than the next on Hollywood’s biggest night.

Kiana Murden, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2022 And because Forte’s comedy is as idiosyncratic as always, the parts that left me doubled over with laughter may mystify you, and vice versa.

Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2021 The 49ers’ other first-round pick from that 2020 draft, Brandon Aiyuk, continued to mystify with his lack of production.

Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Oct. 2021 It’s mind-bending logic that would mystify Lewis Carroll.

Rich Lowry, National Review, 1 Oct. 2021 There is so much in the Office of the Child Advocate report into David’s death to terrify, enrage, and, yes, to mystify.

BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2021 There are things that mystify and things that, sadly, shouldn’t be all that surprising.

Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Dec. 2020 Using it as the subject of a proposition, as Heidegger does, is at best a sign of mental confusion, and at worst a deliberate attempt to mystify and mislead.

Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French mystifier "to hoodwink, dupe," from Greek mýstēs "person initiated (into a religious cult)" + French -ifier -ify — more at mystic entry 1

Note: French mystifier was used by 18th-century literati in the context of elaborate practical jokes in which some pseudo-magical procedure would be performed on the subject of the joke as a sort of mock initiation. Such a joke is described by the playwright Charles-Simon Favart (1710-92) in a letter of June 24, 1760, apparently the earliest known occurrence of the verb: one Poinsinet is persuaded that the application of a magic ointment has made him invisible and he then becomes the butt of various jests. According to Favart, Poinsinet was dubbed le mystifié (presumably, "one made an initiate") as a result of the jests, which he refers to collectively as la mystification. (See Mémoires et correspondances littéraires, dramatiques et anecdotiques de C.S. Favart, tome 1, Paris, 1808, p. 50-52.) The meaning of the English word has been influenced by mystery entry 1, mystical, etc.

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

单词	mystifies
释义	mystify verb mys·ti·fy ˈmi-stə-ˌfī mystified; mystifying transitive verb 1 : to perplex the mind of : bewilder 2 : to make mysterious or obscure mystify an interpretation of a prophecy mystifier ˈmi-stə-ˌfī(-ə)r noun mystifyingly ˈmi-stə-ˌfī-iŋ-lē adverb Synonyms addle baffle bamboozle beat befog befuddle bemuse bewilder buffalo confound confuse discombobulate disorient flummox fox fuddle get gravel maze muddle muddy perplex pose puzzle vex See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The cause of the disease mystified doctors for many years. The magician has been mystifying his audiences for years with his amazing tricks. Recent Examples on the Web The cases, which have been discovered in at least 20 countries, continue to mystify scientists, who have been unable to pinpoint the cause. Frances Stead Sellers And Katie Shepherd, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2022 While bright lights, glamorous fashion, and cheering fans are all hallmarks of a walk down the red carpet, Oscars beauty secrets continue to mystify us, each star’s glowing complexion more blinding than the next on Hollywood’s biggest night. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2022 And because Forte’s comedy is as idiosyncratic as always, the parts that left me doubled over with laughter may mystify you, and vice versa. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2021 The 49ers’ other first-round pick from that 2020 draft, Brandon Aiyuk, continued to mystify with his lack of production. Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Oct. 2021 It’s mind-bending logic that would mystify Lewis Carroll. Rich Lowry, National Review, 1 Oct. 2021 There is so much in the Office of the Child Advocate report into David’s death to terrify, enrage, and, yes, to mystify. BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2021 There are things that mystify and things that, sadly, shouldn’t be all that surprising. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Dec. 2020 Using it as the subject of a proposition, as Heidegger does, is at best a sign of mental confusion, and at worst a deliberate attempt to mystify and mislead. Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from French mystifier "to hoodwink, dupe," from Greek mýstēs "person initiated (into a religious cult)" + French -ifier -ify — more at mystic entry 1 Note: French mystifier was used by 18th-century literati in the context of elaborate practical jokes in which some pseudo-magical procedure would be performed on the subject of the joke as a sort of mock initiation. Such a joke is described by the playwright Charles-Simon Favart (1710-92) in a letter of June 24, 1760, apparently the earliest known occurrence of the verb: one Poinsinet is persuaded that the application of a magic ointment has made him invisible and he then becomes the butt of various jests. According to Favart, Poinsinet was dubbed le mystifié (presumably, "one made an initiate") as a result of the jests, which he refers to collectively as la mystification. (See Mémoires et correspondances littéraires, dramatiques et anecdotiques de C.S. Favart, tome 1, Paris, 1808, p. 50-52.) The meaning of the English word has been influenced by mystery entry 1, mystical, etc. First Known Use 1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition mystify verb mys·ti·fy ˈmi-stə-ˌfī mystified; mystifying : to confuse or bewilder completely His strange behavior has mystified us. mystifies verb present tense third-person singular of mystify as in perplexes to throw into a state of mental uncertainty we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance perplexes confuses baffles bewilders puzzles befuddles embarrasses confounds vexes stuns bemuses bothers disorients disturbs poses flusters rattles flummoxes muddles bamboozles discombobulates upsets muddies addles gets unsettles beats fuddles buffaloes mazes foxes gravels befogs disconcerts mortifies sticks blows one's mind stumps agitates distresses dismays goes to one's head discomfits deceives disquiets perturbs misleads fazes beguiles unhinges deludes abashes tricks discountenances chagrins fools discomforts misguides hoodwinks discomposes nonplusses weirds out nonpluses snows dupes gulls hoaxes humbugs strings along cozens takes in Antonyms & Near Antonyms assures satisfies informs reassures enlightens
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mystify

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

verb