enigmatic

/,enig'mætik/ Cách viết khác : (enigmatical) /,enig'mætik/

Thân thiện

She gave an enigmatic smile across the crowded room.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious: Describing something that is puzzling, ambiguous, or not easily explained.
   • Resembling an oracle in obscurity: Suggesting a profound, often prophetic, mystery that is deliberately obscure.

Usage Examples

• General Use:
  • She gave an enigmatic smile that left everyone wondering what she was thinking.
  • The meaning of the ancient text remains enigmatic to scholars.
• In Describing People or Behavior:
  • He was an enigmatic figure who rarely spoke about his past.
  • Her enigmatic response provided no clear answer to our question.

Advanced Usage

• "Enigmatic to someone": Not understandable by a particular person or group.
  • The philosopher's writings are enigmatic to the average reader.
• Used to describe art, literature, or phenomena that intentionally invite multiple interpretations.
  • The film's enigmatic ending has been debated for decades.

Variants and Related Words

• Enigmatically (adverb): In a mysterious or puzzling manner.
  • He smiled enigmatically and changed the subject.
• Enigma (noun): A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
  • The sudden disappearance of the plane remains an enigma.

Synonyms

• Cryptic: Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure.
• Inscrutable: Impossible to understand or interpret.
• Arcane: Understood by few; mysterious or secret.
• Puzzling: Causing confusion or perplexity.

Antonyms

• Clear: Easy to perceive, understand, or interpret.
• Straightforward: Uncomplicated and easy to understand.
• Transparent: Easy to perceive or detect.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• An enigma wrapped in a mystery: An expression emphasizing extreme mystery and difficulty of understanding (often used as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma").
  • The reclusive artist was an enigma wrapped in a mystery to the public.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. 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
2. 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

Từ đồng nghĩa

• oracular
• enigmatical
• puzzling