cryptic
[ krip-tik ]
adjectiveAlso cryp·ti·cal.
mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous: a cryptic message.
abrupt; terse; short: a cryptic note.
secret; occult: a cryptic writing.
involving or using cipher, code, etc.
Zoology. fitted for concealing; serving to camouflage.
noun
a cryptogram, especially one designed as a puzzle.
Origin of cryptic
1synonym study For cryptic
1. See ambiguous.
Other words for cryptic
1 | enigmatic, perplexing |
Other words from cryptic
- cryp·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- non·cryp·tic, adjective
- non·cryp·ti·cal, adjective
- non·cryp·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for cryptic
cryptic
cryptical
/ (ˈkrɪptɪk) /
adjective
hidden; secret; occult
(esp of comments, sayings, etc) obscure in meaning
(of the coloration of animals) tending to conceal by disguising or camouflaging the shape
Origin of cryptic
1C17: from Late Latin crypticus, from Greek kruptikos, from kruptos concealed; see crypt
Derived forms of cryptic
- cryptically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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