MYSTIFY

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Irregular inflected form: mystified

I. (verb)

Verb forms

Present simple: I / you / we / they mystify ... he / she / it mystifies

Past simple: mystified

Past participle: mystified

-ing form: mystifying

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make mysterious

Example:

mystify the story

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "mystify" is one way to...):

blot out; hide; obliterate; obscure; veil (make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Antonym:

demystify (make less mysterious or remove the mystery from)

Derivation:

mystery (something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained)

mystification (the activity of obscuring people's understanding, leaving them baffled or bewildered)

mystification (something designed to mystify or bewilder)

mystification (confusion resulting from failure to understand)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be a mystery or bewildering to

Example:

This question really stuck me

Synonyms:

amaze; baffle; beat; bewilder; dumbfound; flummox; get; gravel; mystify; nonplus; perplex; pose; puzzle; stick; stupefy; vex

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "mystify" is one way to...):

bedevil; befuddle; confound; confuse; discombobulate; fox; fuddle; throw (be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mystify"):

mix up; stump (cause to be perplexed or confounded)

riddle (set a difficult problem or riddle)

elude; escape (be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

The bad news will mystify him

The good news will mystify her

The performance is likely to mystify Sue