mystifying 1 of 2

adjective

as in perplexing

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mystifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mystify
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty we were mystified by the sudden changes in the tax code

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mystifying
Adjective
If you were born with Libra rising, your second house of money is passionate and Plutonian, ruled by the sultry and mystifying sign of Scorpio. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Seehorn received a nomination for lead actress in a drama series for her portrayal of cynical Carol Sturka, a fantasy romance author who finds herself in a mystifying situation after a virus seems to have wiped out most of Earth’s population. — Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 The Mets’ continual snub of Hall of Famer Carter, a pivotal player in the team’s history as the first building block of the 1986 championship club, is both mystifying and downright embarrassing. — Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026 The outlandish and mystifying story received nearly wall-to-wall coverage, but the plane was never found. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026 Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) January 31, 2026 Then Peterson played just three minutes in the second half before heading to the bench, limited by the return of nagging injuries that have sidelined him for a good portion of his mystifying rookie season. — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026 Perimeter shooters went cold, finishing at the rim turned into a mystifying struggle, and the offense wasn’t able to capitalize after creating advantages behind the play by switch-hunting Doncic. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
The first feature-length Oz adaptation is a mystifying silent epic starring Dorothy Dwan as Dorothy and Oliver Hardy (later of Laurel and Hardy fame) as the Tin Woodsman. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 Most mystifying - at least to Washington - is the constant unravelling of Iran-US deals. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 But then the 2024 trade deadline was quiet, and the ensuing offseason was mystifying. — Max Bultman, New York Times, 17 July 2026 The longevity industry profits from mystifying the obvious, but Emanuel largely dispenses with pretense. — Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 The film tells the story of her Hungarian family’s relocation to Vancouver Island during one summer in the 1990s, as her parents grapple with the worsening and mystifying behavior of her older half-brother Jeremy (Edik Beddoes). — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026 Franz Wagner, who missed 48 games this year with that mystifying ankle injury, finally started looking like his old self with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026 But the mystifying circumstances of his 1973 death — involving an overdose at the Joshua Tree Inn and the subsequent theft of his body — have often overshadowed his remarkable musical legacy. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2026 And then there’s the mystifying whiff of slop. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mystifying
  1. perplexing
  2. baffling
  3. puzzling
  4. bewildering
  5. confounding
  6. confusing
  7. bizarre
  8. strange
Adjective
  • The second surprising ingredient was the most perplexing to me.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Despite a relatively long history of drive-through bans, the idea is still novel and perplexing to Californians who love their burgers and love their cars.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • Despite some protests about a dog contributing to the game, Buddy — clad in a bright blue jersey and two pairs of basketball kicks — scores baffling basket after baffling basket, leaving the other team shocked.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of baffling
Adjective
  • The puzzling question has been that, considering the high competition from other sourcing regions in the vicinity, including Vietnam and Bangladesh, and facing relatively higher labor costs, how can Thailand continue to stay in the game?
    — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • McAlister remaining unsigned has been one of the more puzzling offseason storylines for TCU.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 July 2026
Definition of puzzling
Verb
  • The threats are constantly evolving, layering upon themselves with bewildering speed.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But these casting decisions are bewildering, to say the least, and will certainly cost the film ticket sales and potential revenue.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of bewildering
Adjective
  • Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
  • In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of confounding
Verb
  • The light entering my eyes would bend at two different angles, confusing my brain and making my vision a little blurry.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing in extra mythology wouldn’t make the confusing parts any less confusing, and would just confuse the parts that aren’t confusing at all.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Adjective
  • But Ecuadorian authorities have remained mostly silent about the bizarre incidents.
    — Michael Rios, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Bobby’s color palette is bizarre, and her idea of a sash that transforms into a shawl scarf is really cool but executed poorly.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bizarre
Adjective
  • The explanation behind this family man’s strange case is well chronicled in many Chicago and New York news stories.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms include anxiety, hypervigilance, confusion and mania, and taking on activities that might be considered strange.
    — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of strange

Browse Nearby Words

mystify
mystifying
mystique
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Cite this Entry

“Mystifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mystifying. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on mystifying

Nglish: Translation of mystifying for Spanish Speakers

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