Meaning & use
mystic
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablereligion
A person who seeks direct union with the divine or ultimate reality through prayer, meditation or inner experience.
Grammar: A countable noun: a mystic, several mystics.
Patterns
- a mystic of something
The medieval mystic described her visions in a famous book.
He lived as a mystic, spending hours each day in silent prayer.
Several Sufi mystics wrote poems about divine love.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Having a hidden, spiritual or mysterious meaning, or connected with mysticism.
Grammar: Used only before a noun: mystic rites, a mystic vision.
The monks performed a mystic ritual at dawn.
She spoke of a mystic bond between the two friends.
Fog gave the valley a mystic air.
Word forms
| plural | mystics |
|---|
Common combinations
- Christian mystic
- The Christian mystic wrote about silence and prayer.
- Sufi mystic
- A Sufi mystic is the hero of the poem.
- mystic vision
- The saint had a mystic vision of light.
- mystic poet
- The mystic poet used images of wine and love.
- mystic rites
- Ancient mystic rites were held in the cave.
Synonyms and how they differ
- visionary
- A visionary may have bold ideas about the future, while a mystic is focused on spiritual experience.
- seer
- A seer is someone who claims to foresee things, whereas a mystic seeks union with the divine.
- ascetic
- An ascetic gives up comfort for spiritual reasons, while a mystic is defined by inner experience, not self-denial.
- mystical
- Mystical is the usual adjective, while mystic as an adjective sounds more literary.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: mystic or mystique? mystic or mystic?
mystic vs mystique
Mystique is an aura of mystery around a person or thing, while a mystic is a person.
mystic vs mystic
Do not confuse with the town name Mystic, which is a proper noun.
Practice
Which person is most clearly a mystic?
Choose one answer.
A mystic seeks direct spiritual experience through meditation or prayer. The other people practice ordinary professions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mystic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.