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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
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)
mystifier (a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution)
