Mystery novels are often called “whodunnits” because they turn the reader into a detective trying to figure out the who, what, when, and how of a particular crime.
mystery, problem, enigma, riddle, puzzle mean something which baffles or perplexes. mystery applies to what cannot be fully understood by reason or less strictly to whatever resists or defies explanation. …
MYSTERY definition: 1. something strange or not known that has not yet been explained or understood: 2. a book, film…. Learn more.
Definition of mystery noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, often a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually …
mystery noun Anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret:
You’ll know a whodunit when you read it. Typically, mystery books begin with a crime, offer several suspects and scenarios throughout the story and culminate in a surprise ending.
Noun mystery (countable and uncountable, plural mysteries) Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.
MYSTERY definition: anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown. See examples of mystery used in a sentence.
If you talk about the mystery of someone or something, you are talking about how difficult they are to understand or know about, especially when this gives them a rather strange or magical quality.
35 Best Mystery Books to Read in 2025 — Clever Mystery Books