mystify
/ˈmɪstɪfaɪ/ verb
Forms mystifies mystifying mystified
- verb (transitive) To thoroughly confuse, befuddle, or bewilder. “Solar eclipses continued to mystify ancient humans for thousands of years.”
Synonyms
perplex vex stick get puzzle baffle beat pose bewilder flummox stupefy nonplus gravel amaze dumbfound
Antonyms
Etymology
From French mystifier, from Ancient Greek μυστικός (mustikós, “secret, mystic”) + Latin -ficare.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To involve in mystery; to make obscure or difficult to understand; as, to mystify a passage of Scripture.
- verb To perplex the mind of; to puzzle; to impose upon the credulity of ; as, to mystify an opponent.
Etymology [F. mystifier, fr. Gr. -ficare (in comp.) to make. See 1st Mystery, and -fy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mystify”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details