mysteries

IPA/mˈɪstəɹiz/
KK[mˈɪstɚiz]IPA/mˈɪstəriːz/

mysteries — noun

1. puzzling matters, events, or facts whose causes or true nature people have never

1.nounB1
Definition

puzzling matters, events, or facts whose causes or true nature people have never figured out — for instance, what happened to a lost civilisation, or why an old painting was made.

Example

Kwame is fascinated by the mysteries of ancient Egyptian pyramids.

mysteries of + [topic noun]

Many of the mysteries surrounding the lost city of Atlantis remain unsolved today.

mysteries surrounding + [event/place]

Common collocations
  • unsolved mysteries
  • ancient mysteries
  • deep mysteries
  • unravel the mysteries of
  • solve the mysteries
  • life's mysteries
Synonyms
  • puzzles

    lighter, more solvable feel; mysteries are weightier and often unsolvable

  • enigmas

    more formal and literary; suggests something deeply puzzling

  • secrets

    implies hidden information that someone is keeping; mysteries are simply not understood

  • riddles

    playful or puzzle-like; mysteries are usually more serious

Antonyms
  • facts

    established knowledge, the opposite of unexplained matters

  • certainties

    things known beyond doubt

Grammar Patterns

mysteries of [noun]

remain mysteries

solve the mysteries

Usage Note

Almost always plural in this sense when talking about a collection of unexplained things; the singular 'mystery' covers a single unexplained matter. Frequently followed by 'of + topic' or 'surrounding + event/place'.

Common Mistakes

The mysteries of the universe is endless.
The mysteries of the universe are endless.
plural subject takes a plural verb.
Scientists want to solve a mysteries.
Scientists want to solve a mystery.' / 'Scientists want to solve the mysteries.
don't pair 'a' with the plural form.

2. novels, films, or plays where a crime — usually a murder — is investigated, and

2.nounB1
Definition

novels, films, or plays where a crime — usually a murder — is investigated, and a clever twist at the end reveals who did it and how.

Example

Lucía spends every rainy weekend curled up with Agatha Christie mysteries.

[author] + mysteries — common collocation

Caleb prefers cosy mysteries set in small English villages over violent thrillers.

cosy / classic / murder mysteries

Common collocations
  • murder mysteries
  • cosy mysteries
  • classic mysteries
  • detective mysteries
  • read / watch / write mysteries
Synonyms
  • whodunits

    informal term for mystery novels focused on identifying the culprit

  • detective stories

    broader umbrella; mysteries often centre on a crime to solve

  • crime fiction

    wider genre that includes mysteries plus thrillers and noir

Grammar Patterns

read / watch / write mysteries

murder mysteries

classic mysteries

Usage Note

Subject or object is usually a person who reads, watches, or writes them; common pre-modifiers are 'murder', 'cosy', 'classic', 'detective'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the entertainment context — a book or film, not a real-world unsolved matter.

Common Mistakes

I love watch mysteries on TV.
I love watching mysteries on TV.
after 'love', use the -ing form or 'to + base'.
She wrote a mysteries novel.
She wrote a mystery novel.
when used as a modifier before another noun, use the singular form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five describe something that is not understood, but they differ in weight and feel. 'Mysteries' suggests matters that are deep, sometimes unsolvable, and often arouse wonder — fitting for ancient ruins, scientific unknowns, or life's big questions. 'Puzzles' are lighter and usually solvable with enough effort, often used for problems with a clear answer waiting to be found. 'Enigmas' is formal and literary, used for people or situations that defy easy explanation. 'Secrets' implies that someone deliberately hides the information, which mysteries do not require. 'Riddles' carries a playful, almost game-like tone. Compare: 'the mysteries of the cosmos' (vast and serious), 'a crossword puzzle' (solvable game), 'she was an enigma to her colleagues' (literary), 'family secrets' (deliberately hidden), 'a riddle for the children' (playful).

mysteries ↗puzzles ↗enigmas ↗secrets ↗riddles ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mysteries of life
  • mysteries of the universe
  • mysteries of nature

Phrases

  • unsolved mysteries
  • ancient mysteries
  • solve the mysteries
  • unravel the mysteries

Prepositions

  • mysteries of
  • mysteries surrounding
  • mysteries behind
  • mysteries about

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From the singular 'mystery', which came into Middle English through Old French 'mistere' and earlier Latin 'mysterium', meaning a hidden religious truth or secret rite. The Latin term itself was borrowed from Greek 'mustērion', linked to 'mustēs' — a person initiated into secret religious knowledge. The modern plural 'mysteries' broadened from these religious roots to cover any unexplained matters or, later, the detective-story genre that became popular in nineteenth-century English literature.