Enigmatic
harden-ig-MAT-ik
adjective
Definition
Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious
Examples
“The Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile has fascinated people for centuries.”
“He gave an enigmatic answer that revealed nothing.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Enigmatic is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "cryptic" or "mysterious" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "transparent".
Related GRE Words
arcane
Understood by few; mysterious or secret
equivocal
Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous
obscure
Not discovered or known about; uncertain
cryptic
Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure
shrouded
Covered or enveloped so as to conceal from view
enigma
A puzzling person or thing; something mysterious or inexplicable
Master enigmatic and 800+ GRE words
Learn through stories, practice with real GRE questions, and never forget with spaced repetition.