Mysterious
/mɪˈstɪə̯.ɹi.əs/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf unknown origin.
adjHaving unknown qualities.
Sentence Examples
I always liked mysterious characters more.
This place has a mysterious atmosphere.
Mona Lisa has a mild but mysterious smile.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Despite years of careful investigation, the cause of the strange lights remained ____ to the scientists.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The forest was covered in a ____ fog that made it impossible for us to find our way back to the campsite before the sun went down.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English *misterius (implied in misteriusly), probably partly from Middle French mystérieux and partly from Latin mystērium + -ous. By surface analysis, mystery + -ous.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"God moves in a myſterious way, / His wonders to perform; / He plants his footſteps in the ſea, / And rides upon the ſtorm."
— 1780, William Cowper, “Light Shining out of Darkneſs”, in Twenty-ſix Letters on Religious Subjects […] To which are added Hymns […] , 4th edition, page 252:
"Buttressed by clothes, walls and objects, there was the bourgeois family, the most mysterious institution of the age."
— 1975, Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Capital. 1848-1875, published 1995, page 278:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Despite years of careful investigation, the cause of the strange lights remained ____ to the scientists.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The forest was covered in a ____ fog that made it impossible for us to find our way back to the campsite before the sun went down.