mystery

Universal Words 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