2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone is mysterious about something, they deliberately do not talk much about it, sometimes because they want to make people more interested in it. □ [+ about ] As for his job–well, he was very mysterious about it. ● mys|teri|ous|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ Asked what she meant, she said mysteriously: 'Work it out for yourself'.
mys|tery ◆◇◇ /m I stəri/ (mysteries )
1 N‑COUNT A mystery is something that is not understood or known about. □ The source of the gunshots still remains a mystery. □ [+ of ] …the mysteries of mental breakdown.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you talk about the mystery of someone or something, you are talking about how difficult they are to understand or know about, especially when this gives them a rather strange or magical quality. □ She's a lady of mystery. □ It is an elaborate ceremony, shrouded in mystery.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A mystery person or thing is one whose identity or nature is not known. □ The mystery hero immediately alerted police after spotting a bomb. □ …a mystery prize of up to £1,000.
4 N‑COUNT A mystery is a story in which strange things happen that are not explained until the end. □ His fourth novel is a murder mystery set in London. SYNONYMS mystery NOUN 1
puzzle: She was a puzzle – no one knew or understood her properly.
riddle: Scientists claimed yesterday to have solved the riddle of the birth of the Universe.
enigma: He was an enigma – his feelings hidden behind a wall of distrust.
conundrum: …this theological conundrum of the existence of evil and suffering in a world created by a good God.
mys|tic /m I st I k/ (mystics )
1 N‑COUNT A mystic is a person who practises or believes in religious mysticism. □ …an Indian mystic known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Mystic means the same as mystical . □ …mystic union with God.
mys|ti|cal /m I st I k ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is mystical involves spiritual powers and influences that most people do not understand. □ That was clearly a deep mystical experience.
mys|ti|cism /m I st I s I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Mysticism is a religious practice in which people search for truth, knowledge, and closeness to God through meditation and prayer.
mys|ti|fy /m I st I fa I / (mystifies , mystifying , mystified ) VERB If you are mystified by something, you find it impossible to explain or understand. □ [be V -ed] The audience must have been totally mystified by the plot. □ [V n] There was something strange in her attitude which mystified me. ● mys|ti|fy|ing ADJ □ I find your attitude a little mystifying, Moira.
mys|tique /m I stiː k/ N‑SING [oft n-uncount] If there is a mystique about someone or something, they are thought to be special and people do not know much about them. □ [+ of ] His book destroyed the mystique of monarchy.
myth ◆◇◇ /m I θ/ (myths )
1 N‑VAR A myth is a well-known story which was made up in the past to explain natural events or to justify religious beliefs or social customs. □ There is a famous Greek myth in which Icarus flew too near to the Sun.
2 N‑VAR If you describe a belief or explanation as a myth , you mean that many people believe it but it is actually untrue. □ Contrary to the popular myth, women are not reckless spendthrifts.
myth|ic /m I θ I k/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone or something that is mythic exists only in myths and is therefore imaginary. [LITERARY ] □ …the mythic figure of King Arthur.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone or something as mythic , you mean that they have become very famous or important. □ …a team whose reputation has achieved mythic proportions.
mythi|cal /m I θ I k ə l/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something or someone that is mythical exists only in myths and is therefore imaginary. □ …the Hydra, the mythical beast that had seven or more heads.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as mythical , you mean that it is untrue or does not exist. □ …the American West, not the mythical, romanticized West of cowboys and gunslingers, but the real West.
my|thol|ogy /m I θɒ lədʒi/ (mythologies )
1 N‑VAR Mythology is a group of myths, especially all the myths from a particular country, religion, or culture. □ In Greek mythology, the god Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda. □ This is well illustrated in the mythologies of many cultures. ● mytho|logi|cal /m I θəlɒ dʒ I k ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] □ …the mythological beast that was part lion and part goat.
2 N‑VAR You can use mythology to refer to the beliefs or opinions that people have about something, when you think that they are false or untrue. □ …the mythology of corporate marketing.
Nn
N , n /e n/ (N's, n's )
1 N‑VAR N is the fourteenth letter of the English alphabet.
2 N or n is used as an abbreviation for words beginning with N or n, such as 'north', 'northern', or 'noun'.
'n' / ə n/ CONJ The word 'and' is sometimes written as 'n' between certain pairs of words, as in 'rock 'n' roll'. [INFORMAL ] □ …a country 'n' western song. □ …a fish 'n' chips restaurant.