- mystery
- nounADJECTIVE▪ big, great▪
How the disease started is one of medicine's great mysteries.
▪ little, minor, small▪one of life's little mysteries
▪ complete, total▪She was a total mystery to him despite their long association.
▪ whole▪He had found the clue to unlock the whole mystery
▪ certain▪Her blue eyes had a certain mystery.
▪ genuine, real▪ central▪the central mystery of the story
▪ deep, profound▪a place of deep mystery and enchantment
▪ enduring, eternal, long-standing▪ ancient▪ dark▪ intriguing▪ impenetrable, unfathomable▪ insoluble (esp. BrE), unsolvable (esp. AmE)▪ unexplained, unsolved▪ divine, religious, sacred▪ scientific▪ detective, murder▪He is the author of several murder mysteries.
VERB + MYSTERY▪ be, present (sb with), remain▪How these insects actually communicate presents something of a mystery.
▪ have, hold▪It was easy to believe that the house held some great mystery.
▪ be cloaked in, be shrouded in▪The whole incident was shrouded in mystery.
▪ deepen▪The silence has deepened the mystery surrounding his work.
▪ lose▪Air travel has lost much of its mystery.
▪ retain▪ clear up, crack, discover, explain, figure out, piece together, resolve, solve, uncover, unlock, unravel, unveil▪The police are close to solving the mystery of the missing murder weapon.
▪ shed light on, throw light on▪The witness could shed no light on the mystery of the deceased's identity.
▪ explore, fathom, grapple with, penetrate, probe, understand▪Her poetry attempts to penetrate the dark mystery of death.
▪ contemplate, ponder, ponder on▪She pondered the mystery of the disappearing thief.
MYSTERY + VERB▪ remain▪Mystery remains over who will star in the film.
▪ deepen▪The mystery deepened when the police's only suspect was found murdered.
▪ unfold, unravel▪ involve sb/sth▪ surround sth▪the mystery surrounding her resignation
MYSTERY + NOUN▪ man, woman▪Their suspect was a mystery man: a quiet, happily married man with no enemies.
▪ caller (esp. BrE), guest▪ shopper▪ benefactor (esp. BrE)▪ bidder, buyer (both esp. BrE)▪ prize (BrE)▪ tour (BrE)▪ bug, disease, illness, virus (all esp. BrE)▪ novel, story, thrillerPREPOSITION▪ mystery about▪There's a bit of a mystery about this child.
▪ mystery as to▪It remains a mystery as to where he was buried.
▪ mystery to▪My sister is a complete mystery to me.
PHRASES▪ an air of mystery, an aura of mystery▪Wearing dark glasses gives him an air of mystery.
▪ something of a mystery▪ take the mystery out of sth▪Modern weather forecasts try to take the mystery out of meteorology.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
