What is another word for cryptic?

Pronunciation: [kɹˈɪptɪk] (IPA)

Cryptic is an adjective that describes something that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand. There are several synonyms for cryptic that can be used interchangeably depending on the context. One synonym is enigmatic, which conveys a sense of something that is uncertain or vague. Another synonym is mysterious, which suggests something that cannot be readily understood or explained. Similarly, arcane describes something that is known only by a select few or that is intentionally kept secret. Other related synonyms include obscure, inscrutable, and abstruse. When trying to convey subtlety or hidden meaning, words like ambiguous, equivocal, and opaque may be used to describe something that is cryptic.

Synonyms for Cryptic:

What are the paraphrases for Cryptic?

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What are the hypernyms for Cryptic?

A hypernym is a word with a broad meaning that encompasses more specific words called hyponyms.

What are the opposite words for cryptic?

Cryptic is a word that describes something that is mysterious, enigmatic or puzzling in nature. However, there are several antonyms for cryptic that describe things that are clear, explicit or easily understood. Some of the antonyms for cryptic include apparent, clear, evident, explicit, obvious, transparent, and unambiguous. These words denote clarity and simplicity, unlike cryptic which refers to something that is unclear and mysterious. Sometimes, it's easier to understand things when they are straightforward, and using antonyms for cryptic can help describe things in a clear and concise way, leaving little or no room for confusion.

Usage examples for Cryptic

He was convinced that there was something specially cryptic and alluring about bar-maids, though he would never enter bars as he did not like other people's glasses.
"Helena Brett's Career"
Desmond Coke
"Ah," he replied, "that's it," and raised a cryptic finger.
"Helena Brett's Career"
Desmond Coke
If for himself, it seemed a somewhat idle and meaningless gesture on the Duke's part, for his old enemy surely could gain nothing by sending cryptic messages to him.
"The Gray Phantom's Return"
Herman Landon

Famous quotes with Cryptic

  • Maps encourage boldness. They're like cryptic love letters. They make anything seem possible.
    Mark Jenkins
  • I ask, "Would You agree that sex is where philosophy begins?" But God, who is the oldest of the philosophers, answers in his weary cryptic way, "Rather think of Sex as Time, and Time as the connection of new circuits."
    Norman Mailer
  • When Professor Angell became convinced that the sculptor was indeed ignorant of any cult or system of cryptic lore, he besieged his visitor with demands for future reports of dreams.
    H. P. Lovecraft
  • As for New England as a seat of —a little historic reflection will show why it is more naturally redolent of the bizarre & the sinister than any other part of America. It was here that the most gloomy-minded of all the colonists settled; & here that the dark moods & cryptic hills pressed closest. An abnormal Puritan psychology led to all kinds of repression, furtiveness, & grotesque hidden crime, while the long winters & backwoods isolation fostered monstrous secrets which never came to light. To me there is nothing more fraught with mystery & terror than a remote Massachusetts farmhouse against a lonely hill. Where else could an outbreak like the Salem witchcraft have occurred? Rhode Island does not share these tenedencies—its history & settlement being different from those of other parts of New England—but just across the line in the old Bay State the macabre broods at its strongest.
    H. P. Lovecraft
  • From the standpoint of logic, a child is rather horribly perfect.The thought processes of an infant are completely unimaginable. But babies think, even before birth.Nothing human is alien. But a baby is not human. An embryo is far less human. That, perhaps, was why Emma learned more from the toys than did Scott. He could communicate his thoughts, of course; Emma could not, except in cryptic fragments. The matter of the scrawls, for example —  Give a young child pencil and paper, and he will draw something which looks different to him than to an adult. The absurd scribbles have little resemblance to a fire engine, to a baby. Perhaps it is even three-dimensional. Babies think differently and see differently.
    Lewis Padgett

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