mystify

verb

mys·​ti·​fy ˈmi-stə-ˌfī How to pronounce mystify (audio)
mystified; mystifying
Synonyms of mystifynext

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

Synonyms

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Examples of mystify in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But what happened next mystified developmental biologist Michael Levin, who runs the Allen Discovery Lab at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. —Big Think, 21 Feb. 2025 One would have to agree the behavior of many teams has been mystifying. —Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025 What happened that night continues to mystify the police, the families, and the city. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2025 Canada was infuriated and mystified with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a weekend news conference excoriating the move to punish a longtime friend and ally and announcing retaliatory tariffs. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mystify

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of mystify was in 1814

Rhymes for mystify

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Browse Nearby Words

mystifiedly
mystify
mystique
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mystify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mystify. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

mystify

verb
mys·​ti·​fy ˈmis-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce mystify (audio)
mystified; mystifying
: to confuse thoroughly the understanding of : perplex
mystified by his behavior
mystification
ˌmis-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən
noun

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Nglish: Translation of mystify for Spanish Speakers

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