mystery, problem, enigma, riddle, puzzle mean something which baffles or perplexes. mystery applies to what cannot be fully understood by reason or less strictly to whatever resists or defies explanation. โ€ฆ

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.

Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism. Mystery fiction can involve a supernatural mystery in which the solution does not have to be โ€ฆ

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At its core, mystery is a literary technique that uses unanswered questions and concealed information to create suspense, intrigue, and a desire for resolution in the reader.

Definition of mystery noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

MYSTERY definition: 1. something strange or not known that has not yet been explained or understood: 2. a book, filmโ€ฆ. Learn more.

Jan 11, 2026ย ยท Mystery novels are often called โ€œwhodunnitsโ€ because they turn the reader into a detective trying to figure out the who, what, when, and how of a particular crime.

mystery noun Anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret:

mystery noun Anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret:

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