mystery
What puzzles detectives
Mystery is something unexplained or difficult to understand: The disappearance remains a mystery.
It suggests hidden knowledge or secrets beyond ordinary comprehension—the mysteries of the universe, the mystery of consciousness.
Mystery also names a genre of fiction centered on solving crimes or puzzles: She writes mysteries.
A mysterious quality intrigues or unsettles: an air of mystery.
Puzzling question to solve
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- cipherHidden writing system
- crypticObscure in meaning
secret · inscrutable · perplexing · baffling · unfathomable · paradox · sphinx · unexplained
Suspense-driven narrative genre
- tensionStretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
plot twist · foreboding · dread · gripping · nail-biting · edge-of-your-seat · peril · ominous
New and unusual
- fictionImagined narrative work
- noirHard-boiled film genre
- hardboiledTough, cynical fiction style
- locked roomEnclosed space, secured shut
police procedural · amateur sleuth · plot · denouement · red herring · fair play · golden age · pulp
Private investigator
- investigationFormal examination of facts
- cluesHints toward answers
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- whodunitCrime fiction identifying perpetrator
culprit · detective · inspector · alibi · motive · witness · interrogation · forensics
Accessible to few
- arcaneUnderstood by few
- occultConcealed from view
- supernaturalBeyond natural explanation
- séanceSpirit communication ritual
ritual · forbidden knowledge · alchemy · divination · kabbalah · hermetic · gnostic · tarot
Of or from gods
- ineffableBeyond verbal expression
- sacramentSacred ritual conveying grace
- transcendentExceeding usual boundaries
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
miracle · faith · incarnation · trinity · sacred · theophany · communion · paschal
riddle
Puzzling question to solve
cryptic · secret · inscrutable · perplexing · baffling · unfathomable · paradox · sphinx · unexplained · cryptogram
thriller
Suspense-driven narrative genre
- tensionStretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- anticipationState of awaiting something
intrigue · plot twist · foreboding · dread · gripping · nail-biting · edge-of-your-seat · peril · ominous · apprehension
novel
New and unusual
- fictionImagined narrative work
- noirHard-boiled film genre
- hardboiledTough, cynical fiction style
locked room · police procedural · amateur sleuth · plot · denouement · red herring · fair play · golden age · pulp · femme fatale
sleuth
Private investigator
- investigationFormal examination of facts
- cluesHints toward answers
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
whodunit · culprit · detective · inspector · alibi · motive · witness · interrogation · forensics · perpetrator
esoteric
Accessible to few
- arcaneUnderstood by few
- occultConcealed from view
- supernaturalBeyond natural explanation
séance · ritual · forbidden knowledge · alchemy · divination · kabbalah · hermetic · gnostic · tarot · runes
divine
Of or from gods
- ineffableBeyond verbal expression
- sacramentSacred ritual conveying grace
- transcendentExceeding usual boundaries
revelation · miracle · faith · incarnation · trinity · sacred · theophany · communion · paschal · numinous
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- Novelsnovel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby
- storiesstory, tale, tales, myth, legend
- topicsnature, health, sports, science, politics
- book genresfiction, novels, nonfiction, thriller, romance
mysteryunderstanding
Mental comprehension of something
clarity · comprehension · enlightenment · insight · realization
mysterysolution
Answer or liquid mixture
answer · explanation · resolution · revelation · denouement
- murder mysteryFiction about solving killings
- mystery novelFiction solving a crime
- mysterious phenomenaUnexplained strange events
- mystery meatUnidentifiable cafeteria food
- murder mysteriesFiction centered on solving homicides
- mystery writerAuthor of whodunits
mysterious, mysteries, mystery cults, mysteriously, mysteriousness, unmysterious, mystery guest