What is another word for enigmatic?

Synonyms for enigmatic
ˌɛn ɪgˈmæt ɪk; also ˌi nɪg-enig·mat·ic

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word enigmatic.

English Synonyms and Antonyms3.0 / 2 votes

  1. enigmatic

    Equivocal (Latin equus, equal, and vox, voice, word) denotes that which may equally well be understood in either of two or more ways. Ambiguous (Latin ambi, around, and ago, drive, lead) signifies lacking in distinctness or certainty, obscure or doubtful through indefiniteness of expression. Ambiguous is applied only to spoken or written statements; equivocal has other applications. A statement is ambiguous when it leaves the mind of the reader or hearer to fluctuate between two meanings, which would fit the language equally well; it is equivocal when it would naturally be understood in one way, but is capable of a different interpretation; an equivocal expression is, as a rule, intentionally deceptive, while an ambiguous utterance may be simply the result of a want either of clear thought or of adequate expression. That which is enigmatical must be guessed like a riddle; a statement may be purposely made enigmatical in order to provoke thought and study. That is doubtful which is fairly open to doubt; that is dubious which has become the subject of doubts so grave as scarcely to fall short of condemnation; as, a dubious reputation. Questionable may be used nearly in the sense either of dubious or of doubtful; a questionable statement is one that must be proved before it can be accepted. To say that one's honesty is questionable is a mild way of saying that in the opinion of the speaker he is likely to prove dishonest. Equivocal is sometimes, tho more rarely, used in this sense. A suspicious character gives manifest reason to be suspected; a suspicious temper is inclined to suspect the motives and intentions of others, with or without reason. Compare CLEAR.

    Synonyms:
    ambiguous, doubtful, dubious, enigmatical, equivocal, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, obscure, perplexing, questionable, suspicious, uncertain

    Antonyms:
    certain, clear, distinct, evident, indisputable, indubitable, lucid, manifest, obvious, perspicuous, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal, unquestionable, unquestioned

Princeton's WordNet4.8 / 9 votes

  1. enigmatic, enigmatical, puzzlingadjective

    not clear to the understanding

    "I didn't grasp the meaning of that enigmatic comment until much later"; "prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries"

    Synonyms:
    puzzling, confusing, enigmatical, perplexing, oracular

    Antonyms:
    comprehensible, comprehendible, unambiguous

  2. enigmatic, oracularadjective

    resembling an oracle in obscurity of thought

    "the oracular sayings of Victorian poets"; "so enigmatic that priests might have to clarify it"; "an enigmatic smile"

    Synonyms:
    puzzling, enigmatical, oracular

    Antonyms:
    unambiguous, comprehensible, comprehendible

Dictionary of English Synonymes0.0 / 0 votes

  1. enigmaticadjective

    Synonyms:
    obscure, mysterious, mystic, mystical, dark, occult, recondite, ambiguous, hidden, unintelligible, incomprehensible, puzzling, perplexing

PPDB, the paraphrase database0.0 / 0 votes

  1. List of paraphrases for "enigmatic":

    cryptic, intriguing, slippery, mysterious

How to pronounce enigmatic?

How to say enigmatic in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#9735mysterious
#10949confusing
#11666uncertain
#13380obscure
#13890suspicious
#15385questionable
#16174intriguing
#17795ambiguous
#18828slippery
#20066doubtful
#22231indefinite
#23071dubious
#30028cryptic
#32410puzzling
#36208indeterminate
#37424enigmatic
#53854perplexing
#67973indistinct
#70807equivocal
#153073oracular

How to use enigmatic in a sentence?

  1. Lois Greenfield:

    And out of this improvisation comes a moment that can't be part of a dance, it becomes more of a personal moment, a moment about expressive gestures. And they're often, I call them, enigmatic or ambiguous moments.

  2. Paul Hertz of NASA:

    TESS will cast a wider net than ever before for enigmatic worlds whose properties can be probed by NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and other missions.

  3. Peter Weir:

    He’s enigmatic. He’s an actor, a dancer, a musician. He’s a tribal man, initiated in the tribal ways, he has a foot in both cultures. It’s an enormous strain on the man.

  4. Uri Berger:

    It's an enigmatic site. We have bits of information, but not the whole picture, scientists come and are amazed by the site and think up their own theories.

  5. Lee Berger:

    Homo naledi remains one of the most enigmatic ancient human relatives ever discovered, it is clearly a primitive species, existing at a time when previously we thought only modern humans were in South Africa. Its very presence at that time and in this place complexifies our understanding of who did what first concerning the invention of complex stone tool cultures and even ritual practices.


Translations for enigmatic

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for enigmatic »

Translation

Find a translation for the enigmatic synonym in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"enigmatic." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/enigmatic>.

Discuss these enigmatic synonyms with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good synonym for enigmatic?

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant synonyms for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant synonyms for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Synonyms.com

    Quiz

    Are you a human thesaurus?

    »
    Which of the following terms is an antonym of the term "pathologic"?
    A ghoulish
    B diseased
    C healthy
    D morbid

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for enigmatic: