Need another word that means the same as “cryptic”? Find 22 synonyms and 30 related words for “cryptic” in this overview.
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
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “cryptic” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
| 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. |
| 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. |
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