mystery

US: /ˈmɪstɝi/
UK: /mˈɪstəɹi/


English Vietnamese dictionary


mystery /'mistəri/
  • danh từ
    • điều huyền bí, điều thần bí
      • the mystery of nature: điều huyền bí của toạ vật
    • bí mật, điều bí ẩn
      • to make a mystery of something: coi cái gì là một điều bí mật
    • (số nhiều) (tôn giáo) nghi lễ bí truyền, nghi thức bí truyền
    • kịch tôn giáo (thời Trung cổ)
    • tiểu thuyết thần bí; truyện trinh thám

Advanced English dictionary


+ noun (plural mysteries)
1 [C] something that is difficult to understand or to explain: It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of this century. + Their motives remain a mystery. + It's a complete mystery to me why they chose him.
2 [C] (often used as an adjective) a person or a thing that is strange and interesting because you do not know much about them or it: He's a bit of a mystery. + There was a mystery guest on the programme. + The band was financed by a mystery backer. + (BrE) a mystery tour (= when you do not know where you are going)
3 [U] the quality of being difficult to understand or to explain, especially when this makes sb/sth seem interesting and exciting: Mystery surrounds her disappearance. + His past is shrouded in mystery (= not much is known about it). + The dark glasses give her an air of mystery. + She's a woman of mystery.
4 [C] a story, a film/movie or a play in which crimes and strange events are only explained at the end: I enjoy murder mysteries.
5 (mysteries) [pl.] secret religious ceremonies; secret knowledge: (figurative) the teacher who initiated me into the mysteries of mathematics
6 [C] a religious belief that cannot be explained or proved in a scientific way: the mystery of creation

Thesaurus dictionary


n.
1 puzzle, enigma, conundrum, riddle, question:
How he escaped from the locked room is a mystery.
2 obscurity, secrecy, indefiniteness, vagueness, nebulousness, ambiguity, ambiguousness, inscrutability, inscrutableness:
The identity of the beautiful lady in the green dress is shrouded in mystery.
3 detective story or novel, murder (story), Colloq whodunit:
Joel, who once fancied himself an intellectual, now reads nothing but mysteries.

Collocation dictionary


ADJ.

big, great
How the disease started is one of medicine's great mysteries.
| little, minor, small
one of life's little mysteries
| complete, total
She was a total mystery to him despite their long association.
| whole
He had found the clue to unlock the whole mystery
| certain
Her blue eyes had a certain mystery.
| real | central
the central mystery of the story
| deep, profound
a place of deep mystery and enchantment
| arcane | dark, terrible | fascinating | insoluble | unexplained, unsolved | religious, sacred | scientific | murder
He is the author of several murder mysteries.

VERB + MYSTERY

be, present (sb with), remain
How these insects actually communicate presents something of a mystery.
| have, hold
It was easy to believe that the tiny hamlet held some great mystery.
| be cloaked in, be shrouded in, be veiled in
The whole incident was shrouded in mystery.
| lose
Air travel has lost much of its mystery.
| clear up, explain, resolve, solve, uncover, unlock, unravel
The police are close to solving the mystery of the missing murder weapon.
| shed/throw light on
The witness could shed no light on the mystery of the deceased's identity.
| explore, fathom, grapple with, penetrate, understand
Her poetry attempts to penetrate the dark mystery of death.
| ponder (on)
She pondered the mystery of the disappearing thief.

MYSTERY + VERB

deepen
The mystery deepened when the police's only suspect was found murdered.
| surround sth
the mystery surrounding her resignation

MYSTERY + NOUN

man, woman
Their suspect was a mystery man: a quiet, happily married man with no enemies.
| caller, guest | tour | disease, illness, virus

PREP.

~ about
There's a bit of a mystery about this child.
| ~ as to
It remains a mystery as to where he was buried.
| ~ to
My sister is a complete mystery to me.

PHRASES

an air/aura of mystery
Wearing dark glasses gives him an air of mystery.
| something of a mystery, take the mystery out of sth
Modern weather forecasts try to take the mystery out of meteorology.


Concise English dictionary


mysteries'mɪstərɪ
noun
+something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
+a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie