mysteries
Things not understood
Mysteries are things not understood or explained—puzzles waiting to be solved or secrets that may never yield.
A mystery novel centers on solving a crime, usually murder.
The mysteries of a religion are its sacred truths beyond ordinary comprehension: the mysteries of the faith.
Something wrapped in mystery remains hidden or unexplained: Her disappearance remains a mystery.
Puzzling question to solve
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
cipher · cryptogram · perplexity · bewilderment · inexplicable · unfathomable · inscrutable · baffling
Crime fiction identifying perpetrator
- detectiveProfessional crime investigator
- crimePunishable illegal act
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
- noirHard-boiled film genre
hardboiled · gumshoe · private eye · sleuth · Agatha Christie · Sherlock Holmes · investigation · clue
Beyond natural explanation
- unexplained phenomenaOccurrences without evident causes
- cryptozoologyPursuit of unproven creatures
- ufologyInvestigating unexplained aircraft reports
- BigfootLegendary North American ape-man
Loch Ness · aliens · UFO · extraterrestrial · ghosts · haunting · apparition · Bermuda Triangle
Religious ceremonial practices
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- ancient ceremoniesFormal rites from antiquity
- esotericAccessible to few
- occultConcealed from view
mystical · secret society · shamanic · arcane knowledge · revelation · symbolic · ceremonial · Freemasonry
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
- cloak-and-daggerInvolving secret intrigue
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
undercover · sabotage · subterfuge · deception · betrayal · treachery · double-cross · infiltration
Stretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
dread · anxiety · anticipation · intrigue · gripping · edge-of-your-seat · ominous · menace
Kept out of sight
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- confidentialMeant to stay secret
- classifiedRestricted from disclosure
- undisclosedNot made known
veiled · obscured · buried · shrouded · cloaked · unrevealed · unknown · unspoken
riddle
Puzzling question to solve
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
enigma · cipher · cryptogram · perplexity · bewilderment · inexplicable · unfathomable · inscrutable · baffling · mystifying
whodunit
Crime fiction identifying perpetrator
- detectiveProfessional crime investigator
- crimePunishable illegal act
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
noir · hardboiled · gumshoe · private eye · sleuth · Agatha Christie · Sherlock Holmes · investigation · clue · culprit
supernatural
Beyond natural explanation
- unexplained phenomenaOccurrences without evident causes
- cryptozoologyPursuit of unproven creatures
- ufologyInvestigating unexplained aircraft reports
Bigfoot · Loch Ness · aliens · UFO · extraterrestrial · ghosts · haunting · apparition · Bermuda Triangle · Atlantis
sacred rites
Religious ceremonial practices
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- ancient ceremoniesFormal rites from antiquity
- esotericAccessible to few
occult · mystical · secret society · shamanic · arcane knowledge · revelation · symbolic · ceremonial · Freemasonry · Rosicrucian
conspiracy
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
- cloak-and-daggerInvolving secret intrigue
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
covert · undercover · sabotage · subterfuge · deception · betrayal · treachery · double-cross · infiltration · intelligence
tension
Stretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
apprehension · dread · anxiety · anticipation · intrigue · gripping · edge-of-your-seat · ominous · menace · peril
hidden
Kept out of sight
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- confidentialMeant to stay secret
- classifiedRestricted from disclosure
undisclosed · veiled · obscured · buried · shrouded · cloaked · unrevealed · unknown · unspoken · hushed
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- bookstoresbookshelves, bookstores, bookshops, booksellers, indie bookstores
- fiction in librariesnovels, short stories, romance, sci-fi, fantasy
- Hidden Truthssecrets, lies, cover-ups, deception, revelations
- light readinghumor, comedy, jokes, page turners, romance novels
- modern fictionnovels, novel, contemporary fiction, literary fiction, modern fiction
mysteriesexplanations
Statements clarifying something
answers · solutions · knowns · certainties · revelations
mysteriesobviousness
State of being evident
certainties · clarities · transparencies · common knowledge · givens
- mysterious phenomenaUnexplained strange events
- murder mysteriesFiction centered on solving homicides
- medical mysteriesUnexplained health conditions
- mysterious islandsLand surrounded by water, full of secrets
- mysterious strangerPuzzling person of unknown origin
- mysterious disappearancesUnexplained cases of people gone