Definitions for mystery
ˈmɪs tə ri, -trimys·te·ry

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. mystery, enigma, secret, closed booknoun

   something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

   "how it got out is a mystery"; "it remains one of nature's secrets"

2. mystery, mystery story, whodunitnoun

   a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie

Wiktionary(3.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. mysterynoun

   Something secret or unexplainable; unknown.

   The truth behind the events remains a mystery.

2. mysterynoun

   Someone or thing with an obscure or puzzling nature.

   That man is a mystery.

3. mysterynoun

   A particular event or series of events in the life of Christ.

   The second decade of the Rosary concerns the Sorrowful mysteries, such as the crucifixion and the crowning with thorns.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Mysteryadjective

   a profound secret; something wholly unknown, or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder; something which has not been or can not be explained; hence, specifically, that which is beyond human comprehension

   Etymology: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. mtier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]

2. Mysteryadjective

   a kind of secret religious celebration, to which none were admitted except those who had been initiated by certain preparatory ceremonies; -- usually plural; as, the Eleusinian mysteries

   Etymology: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. mtier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]

3. Mysteryadjective

   the consecrated elements in the eucharist

   Etymology: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. mtier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]

4. Mysteryadjective

   anything artfully made difficult; an enigma

   Etymology: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. mtier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]

5. Mysterynoun

   a trade; a handicraft; hence, any business with which one is usually occupied

   Etymology: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. mtier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]

6. Mysterynoun

   a dramatic representation of a Scriptural subject, often some event in the life of Christ; a dramatic composition of this character; as, the Chester Mysteries, consisting of dramas acted by various craft associations in that city in the early part of the 14th century

   Etymology: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. mtier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Mystery

   Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term. It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction—in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction. The term "mystery fiction" may sometimes be limited to the subset of detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle/suspense element and its logical solution, as a contrast to hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism. Although normally associated with the crime genre, the term "mystery fiction" may in certain situations refer to a completely different genre, where the focus is on supernatural or thriller mystery. This usage was common in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, where titles such as Dime Mystery, Thrilling Mystery and Spicy Mystery offered what at the time were described as "weird menace" stories—supernatural horror in the vein of Grand Guignol. This contrasted with parallel titles of the same names which contained conventional hardboiled crime fiction. The first use of "mystery" in this sense was by Dime Mystery, which started out as an ordinary crime fiction magazine but switched to "weird menace" during the latter part of 1933.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Mystery

   mis′tėr-i, n. a secret doctrine: anything very obscure: that which is beyond human knowledge to explain: anything artfully made difficult: (pl.) secret rites, in ancient religions rites known only to and practised by initiated persons, as the Eleusinian mysteries in Greece, &c.: a sacrament: a rude medieval drama founded on the historical parts of the Bible and the lives of the saints—the Basque pastorales are a survival.—adj. Mystē′rious, containing mystery: obscure: secret: incomprehensible.—adv. Mystē′riously.—n. Mystē′riousness. [M. E. mysterie—L. mysterium—Gr. mystērion—mystēs, one initiated—muein, to close the eyes.]

2. Mystery

   mis′tėr-i, n. a trade, handicraft. [M. E. mistere—O. Fr. mestier (Fr. métier)—L. ministerium—minister. Prop. mistery; the form mystery is due to confusion with the above.]

Suggested Resources(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. mystery

   Song lyrics by mystery -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by mystery on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Story

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'mystery' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4076

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'mystery' in Nouns Frequency: #1462

How to pronounce mystery?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say mystery in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of mystery in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of mystery in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of mystery in a Sentence

1. Lois Greenfield:

   I want (viewers) to contemplate the mystery of what I'm presenting, because people don't know how I did it or what it is or why it is. I'd like them to enjoy that mystery and make it their own.

2. James Arthur Baldwin:

   The face of a lover is an unknown, precisely because it is invested with so much of oneself. It is a mystery, containing, like all mysteries, the possibility of torment.

3. Adam Sandler:

   Every time I'm with Jennifer Aniston, something great happens because everybody loves Jennifer Aniston, murder Mystery.

4. Alicia Keys:

   Our mission goes beyond commerce, it goes beyond technology. Our intent is to preserve music's importance in our lives, music is the language of love, of laughter, of heartbreak, of mystery. It's the world's true, true, without question, universal language.

5. Albert Einstein:

   The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.

Images & Illustrations of mystery

Popularity rank by frequency of use