Enigmatic
[,enɪg'mætɪk] or ['ɛnɪg'mætɪk]
Definition
(adj.) resembling an oracle in obscurity of thought; 'the oracular sayings of Victorian poets'; 'so enigmatic that priests might have to clarify it'; 'an enigmatic smile' .
(adj.) not clear to the understanding; 'I didn't grasp the meaning of that enigmatic comment until much later'; 'prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries' .
Edited by Albert--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Alt. of Enigmatical
Inputed by Barnard
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Obscure, mysterious, mystic, mystical, dark, occult, recondite, ambiguous, hidden, unintelligible, incomprehensible, puzzling, perplexing.
Typist: Penelope
Examples
- You have no idea how these enigmatic speeches pique my curiosity. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- At last he turned to Maurice with an enigmatic smile on his face, and shrugged his shoulders. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- She greeted him with a mocking, enigmatic smile in which was a poignant gaiety. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Holmes gave an enigmatic smile. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- I was at first unable to solve these questions; but perpetual attention, and time, explained to me many appearances which were at first enigmatic. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
Typist: Penelope