mystifying


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Related to mystifying: beguile, browbeaten, imposed

mys·ti·fy

 (mĭs′tə-fī′)
tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies
1. To confuse or bewilder. See Synonyms at perplex.
2. To make obscure or mysterious: "What had been for ages mundane would soon become mystified in the minds of most Americans" (Ann Vileisis).

[French mystifier : mystère, mystery (from Latin mystērium; see mystery1) + -fier, -fy.]

mys′ti·fi′er n.
mys′ti·fy′ing·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.mystifying - of an obscure nature; "the new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms"; "a deep dark secret"; "the inscrutable workings of Providence"; "in its mysterious past it encompasses all the dim origins of life"- Rachel Carson; "rituals totally mystifying to visitors from other lands"
incomprehensible, inexplicable - incapable of being explained or accounted for; "inexplicable errors"; "left the house at three in the morning for inexplicable reasons"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

mystifying

adjective
Difficult to explain or understand:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

mystifying

[ˈmɪstɪfaɪɪŋ] ADJdesconcertante
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

mystifying

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in classic literature ?
"Upon my honor, I thought you were mystifying me, and I humored the joke."
She made an important and mystifying secret of what she intended doing with her earnings, and Billy teased her about it until the matter passed from his mind.
And not only were these flowers almost blinding in their vivid hues of red and gold, but each one whirled around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill, completely dazzling the vision of the beholders and so mystifying them that they knew not which way to turn.
For if they fail to do so, the newspaper is likely to succeed only in mystifying and, therefore, shortchanging every foreign reader who arrives in Kenya on any day and buys a copy of your newspaper.Indeed, the term 8-4-4 will mystify even those Kenyans who were born after the 8-4-4 educational system died a decade ago.
"Don't Read This Book Before Bed" is a color photo illustrated collection of scary but true odd or mystifying tales and facts.
Critique: The first volume of a seven-volume black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) series, A Strange and Mystifying Story belongs to the yaoi (male homoerotic) genre, and is expressly rated M for mature readers.
"Holy Spirit Mystifying Scriptures" is a collection of digital art impressions based upon quotations from the KJV of the Holy Bible.
Summary: Humpback whales have a mystifying navigational skill that cannot be explained by known theories, a study has found.
The trainer is convinced the five-year-old can put behind him a mystifying poor performance in the Irish Champion Hurdle when he was seventh to Brave Inca.
AFTER mystifying Medulla, on which the Icelandic elf dispensed with instruments altogether and gave us rather more of her unpredictable warble than the doctor ordered, Bjork is back in playful mode on an album that's as conventional as she's ever likely to get.
106) states, "Yet individuals with Asperger syndrome can still look at a face and assess characteristics such as trustworthiness." Statements like that are mystifying to me.
Enraged Cardiff Blues coach Dai Young today branded the decision to award Leeds Tykes maximum Heineken Cup points as 'totally mystifying'.