cryptic

(krĭp'tĭk) also cryp·ti·cal (-tĭ-kəl)
adj.

1. Having hidden meaning; mystifying. See synonyms at ambiguous.
2. Secret or occult.
3. Using code or cipher.
4. Biology. Tending to conceal or camouflage: cryptic coloring.

[Late Latin crypticus, from Greek kruptikos, from kruptos, hidden, from kruptein, to hide.]

cryptically cryp'ti·cal·ly adv.
crypticness cryp'tic·ness n.

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adjective

Difficult to explain or understand: arcane, cabalistic, enigmatic, mysterious, mystic, mystical, mystifying, occult, puzzling. See explain/baffle, knowledge/ignorance.

adj

Definition: secret; obscure in meaning
Antonyms: clear, obvious, plain, seen, straightforward

IN BRIEF: Mysterious. Also: concealing.

A cryptic message was written on the rock by the cave entrance.

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1. hidden, secret.
2. not apparent, unrecognized, masked; e.g. of a medical condition.
3. (especially of the colouring of an animal) serving to conceal.
4. of a particle-bound enzyme, that it is not as accessible to substrate as when it has been solubilized.

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Next:	cryptic plasmid, cryptic splice site, crypticity

For a list of words related to cryptic, see:

• Cold, Unfriendly, Irritable, or Cruel
• Demanding, Critical, Calculating, or Selfish
• Secrecy and Concealment - cryptic: (adj) intentionally obscure; used to conceal

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See words rhyming with "cryptic."

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - uklar, kryptisk

Nederlands (Dutch)
cryptisch, geheimzinnig, dienend als schutkleur

Français (French)
adj. - énigmatique, sybillin, crypté (jeux)

Deutsch (German)
adj. - rätselhaft, kryptisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - απόκρυφος, μυστηριώδης, αινιγματικός

Italiano (Italian)
criptico

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - obscuro

Русский (Russian)
загадочный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - misterioso, secreto

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - kryptisk, förborgad, dunkel, kodad

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
秘密的, 神秘的, 含义模糊的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 秘密的, 神秘的, 含義模糊的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 숨은, 신비의, 암호를 사용한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 隠れた, ぶっきらぼうな, 短い

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مبهم, غامض, مقتضب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮סודי, כמוס, נסתר‬

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