Mystery Vocabulary

noun the act of disappearing; a state or instance of vanishing or being lost

• The police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of the valuable artwork from the museum.
• Have you heard about the sudden disappearance of our neighbor's cat?
• I can't believe the disappearance of my favorite hoodie, it's like it vanished into thin air.
• The disappearance of trust between them was palpable, their relationship irreparably damaged.

adjective difficult to find, catch, or achieve

• The solution to the complex mathematical problem remained elusive for years.
• I've been trying to catch that elusive butterfly in my garden all day.
• That elusive concert ticket is like finding a needle in a haystack.
• Happiness can sometimes feel like an elusive butterfly, always just out of reach.

noun a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand

• The origins of the ancient artifact remain an enigma to historians.
• I can't figure out how she always knows what we're thinking, she's such an enigma.
• That guy is a total enigma, you never know what he's going to do next.
• Her personality is like an enigma wrapped in a mystery, you never know what to expect.

adjective causing curiosity or interest; fascinating

• The scientist presented an intriguing theory that challenged current beliefs.
• I find that mystery novel to be really intriguing.
• That new movie is so intriguing, I can't wait to see it.
• Her eyes held an intriguing sparkle that drew me in.

noun the sound made by a series of light, quick taps or beats

verb to make a series of light, quick taps or beats

• The pitter patter of raindrops could be heard on the roof.
• I love falling asleep to the pitter patter of rain outside.
• The pitter patter of little feet running around the house is music to my ears.
• Her heart skipped a beat at the pitter patter of footsteps behind her.

adjective feeling or showing confusion because something is difficult to understand or solve

• The scientist was puzzled by the unexpected results of the experiment.
• I'm really puzzled about why she didn't show up to the party.
• I was totally puzzled by his strange behavior last night.
• The complex riddle left me puzzled for hours.

adjective having or being in shadow; shady; indistinct; vague

• The detective followed the suspect into the shadowy alleyway.
• I don't like walking through that shadowy part of the park at night.
• The shadowy figure disappeared into the night before we could catch them.
• The shadowy past of the politician was finally exposed by the media.

adjective describing something that has not been clarified or understood

adverb modifying a verb, indicating that something is not explained or understood

• The unexplained phenomenon puzzled the scientists for years.
• I don't know why she left so suddenly, it's just unexplained.
• The whole situation is just straight up unexplained, dude.
• His unexplained absence left a hole in our team.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case 'unguessed' describes something that has not been guessed

• The true extent of the damage was unguessed until further investigation was conducted.
• The answer to the riddle was completely unguessed by everyone in the room.
• Her talent for singing was unguessed by most people until she performed at the talent show.
• The depth of his emotions remained unguessed by those around him.

verb to solve or explain (a riddle or mystery)

• The detective was able to unriddle the complex clues and solve the case.
• I can't unriddle this riddle, it's too tricky!
• I'm trying to unriddle this text message, but it's full of emojis and abbreviations.
• The poet's words were so deep and layered, it took me a while to unriddle their true meaning.

verb to disappear suddenly and completely

adjective used to describe something that has disappeared suddenly and completely

• The ancient artifact vanished from the museum's collection without a trace.
• I swear I left my keys right here, but now they've vanished!
• She was here a minute ago, but then she just vanished into thin air.
• His hopes of winning the championship vanished when he suffered a season-ending injury.