Need another word that means the same as “cryptic”? Find 22 synonyms and 30 related words for “cryptic” in this overview.
Table Of Contents:
The synonyms of “Cryptic” are: cryptical, deep, inscrutable, mysterious, mystifying, cabalistic, kabbalistic, qabalistic, sibylline, enigmatic, hard to understand, confusing, perplexing, puzzling, obscure, abstruse, arcane, oracular, delphic, ambiguous, elliptical, oblique
Cryptic as an Adjective
Definitions of "Cryptic" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “cryptic” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Of an obscure nature- Rachel.
- Having a puzzling terseness.
- Of an obscure nature.
- (of coloration or markings) serving to camouflage an animal in its natural environment.
- (of a crossword) having difficult clues which indicate the solutions indirectly.
- Having a secret or hidden meaning.
- Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure.
- Having a secret or hidden meaning- John Gunther.
Synonyms of "Cryptic" as an adjective (22 Words)
| abstruse | Difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge. An abstruse philosophical inquiry. |
| ambiguous | Having more than one possible meaning. The polling had a complex and equivocal or ambiguous message for potential female candidates. |
| arcane | Requiring secret or mysterious knowledge. Arcane procedures for electing people. |
| cabalistic | Having a secret or hidden meaning- John Gunther. Cabalistic symbols engraved in stone. |
| confusing | Bewildering or perplexing. A confusing jumble of road signs. |
| cryptical | Of an obscure nature- Rachel. |
| deep | Relatively deep or strong affecting one deeply. They were standing three deep at the bar. |
| delphic | Of or relating to Delphi or to the oracles of Apollo at Delphi. |
| elliptical | Characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of superfluous elements- H.O.Taylor. Elliptical colloquial exchanges. |
| enigmatic | Resembling an oracle in obscurity of thought. So enigmatic that priests might have to clarify it. |
| hard to understand | Being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content. |
| inscrutable | Impossible to understand or interpret. The inscrutable workings of Providence. |
| kabbalistic | Having a secret or hidden meaning. |
| mysterious | Of an obscure nature- Rachel. She was mysterious about herself but said plenty about her husband. |
| mystifying | Utterly bewildering or perplexing. Rituals totally mystifying to visitors from other lands. |
| oblique | (of an angle) acute or obtuse. Acute and obtuse angles are oblique angles. |
| obscure | Not clearly expressed or easily understood. An obscure turn of phrase. |
| oracular | Relating to an oracle. The oracular sayings of Victorian poets. |
| perplexing | Completely baffling; very puzzling. A perplexing problem. |
| puzzling | Lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity. A puzzling statement. |
| qabalistic | Having a secret or hidden meaning. |
| sibylline | Having a secret or hidden meaning- John Gunther. Thoroughly sibylline in most of his pronouncements. |
Usage Examples of "Cryptic" as an adjective
- Cryptic plumage is thought to minimize predation.
- A cryptic note.
- The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.
- He found his boss's utterances too cryptic.
- Cryptic writings.
Associations of "Cryptic" (30 Words)
| abysmal | Resembling an abyss in depth; so deep as to be unmeasurable. Abysmal stupidity. |
| ambiguous | Open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning. Ambiguous phrases. |
| arcane | Understood by few; mysterious or secret. Arcane procedures for electing people. |
| crossword | A puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues. She settled down to do the crossword. |
| decipher | Convert (a text written in code, or a coded signal) into normal language. Authorized government agencies can decipher encrypted telecommunications. |
| disappearance | Gradually ceasing to be visible. The disappearance of grammar schools. |
| eerie | Inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening. An eerie feeling of deja vu. |
| enigma | A person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand. Madeleine was still an enigma to him. |
| enigmatic | Not clear to the understanding. So enigmatic that priests might have to clarify it. |
| esoterica | Esoteric or highly specialized subjects or publications. A professor of such esoterica as angelology and comparative shamanism. |
| incomprehensible | Incapable of being explained or accounted for. A language which is incomprehensible to anyone outside the office. |
| inexplicable | Incapable of being explained or accounted for. Left the house at three in the morning for inexplicable reasons. |
| inscrutable | Impossible to understand or interpret. The inscrutable workings of Providence. |
| insoluble | Impossible to solve. An insoluble problem. |
| mysterious | Of an obscure nature. A mysterious benefactor provided the money. |
| occult | Cause an eclipse of (a celestial body) by intervention. The lids were occulting her eyes. |
| odd | Of the remaining member of a pair. It s odd that she didn t recognize me. |
| oracular | (of an utterance, advice, etc.) hard to interpret; enigmatic. An ambiguous oracular remark. |
| preternatural | Beyond what is normal or natural. Beyond his preternatural affability there is some acid and some steel. |
| puzzle | A jigsaw puzzle. Realization dawned as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. |
| puzzling | Causing one to be puzzled; perplexing. A puzzling statement. |
| recondite | Difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge. The book is full of recondite information. |
| secret | Of information given in confidence or in secret. A secret drinker. |
| sibylline | Having a secret or hidden meaning. One glimpses them uttering sibylline predictions of weal and woe. |
| strange | Unaccustomed to or unfamiliar with. She was lost in a strange country. |
| unaccountable | (of a person, organization, or institution) not required or expected to justify actions or decisions; not responsible for results or consequences. There are enormous risks in leaving such agencies uncontrolled and unaccountable. |
| uncanny | Surpassing the ordinary or normal. His uncanny sense of direction. |
| unfathomable | Incapable of being fully understood. Mountains of unfathomable scale. |
| unsolved | Not solved. An unsolved mystery. |
| weird | Induce a sense of disbelief or alienation in someone. The three weird sisters. |