Cryptic | Definition of cryptic by Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of CRYPTIC

1

: secret, occult

2

a : having or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning : mysterious <cryptic messages>

b : marked by an often perplexing brevity <cryptic marginal notes>

3

: serving to conceal <cryptic coloration in animals>; also : exhibiting cryptic coloration <cryptic animals>

4

: not recognized <a cryptic infection>

5

: employing cipher or code

— cryp·ti·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of CRYPTIC

… his hectic characters either communicate in choppy or cryptic exchanges or rattle on in breathless recitations full of contradictions and asides. —Donna Seaman, Booklist, 15 Mar. 1994
Since Hughes's poems contained neither Eliot's footnotes nor Ezra Pound's cryptic orientalism, many critics and editors assumed the poet unintelligent and his work raw or, at best, slight. —Rita Dove, New York Times Book Review, 9 Oct. 1988
The remark seemed cryptic to Philip, but when he heard her say it two or three times to different persons, and found that it aroused hearty agreement, he came to the conclusion that it was only obscure to his own intelligence. —W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
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Origin of CRYPTIC

Late Latin crypticus, from Greek kryptikos, from kryptos

First Known Use: circa 1638

Related to CRYPTIC

Synonyms: arcane, mysterious, deep, enigmatic (also enigmatical), impenetrable, inscrutable, mystic, occult, uncanny

Antonyms: accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal

Synonym Discussion of CRYPTIC

obscure, dark, vague, enigmatic, cryptic, ambiguous, equivocal mean not clearly understandable. obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge <obscure poems>. dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion <muttered dark hints of revenge>. vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration <a vague sense of obligation>. enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality <enigmatic occult writings>. cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning <cryptic hints of hidden treasure>. ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation <an ambiguous directive>. equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading <moral precepts with equivocal phrasing>.