mystification

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a state or feeling of bewilderment caused by not understanding something

   The abrupt cancellation left the audience in complete mystification.

2. 2
   noun

   the deliberate obscuring of facts or meaning in order to confuse or deceive

   The report's vague terminology seemed designed for mystification rather than explanation.

3. 3
   noun

   something that puzzles, deceives, or is difficult to explain

   The locked-room disappearance remained a mystification even after months of inquiry.

Borrowed from French mystification, from mystifier 'to bewilder, deceive, or hoax.' English preserved both sides of the French word: the act of deliberately making something obscure and the resulting state of bafflement.

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