Word
mysteriously
Phoneticsmys·te·ri·ous·ly
US/ˌmɪsˈtɪɹiəsɫi/
UK/mɪstˈiəɹɪəsli/
Definition
adv. in a way that is strange and difficult to explain. You use this when something happens and you do not know why or how it happened.
adv. in a manner that is difficult or impossible to understand, explain, or identify. Often used to describe events that seem to lack a logical cause.
Examples
“The lights in the old house mysteriously turned on.”
“The ancient documents mysteriously disappeared from the locked safe overnight without any sign of a break-in.”
“The species, which had thrived for centuries in the isolated valley, mysteriously vanished from the fossil record long before the arrival of human settlers.”
Examples
simple
“The lights in the old house mysteriously turned on.”
contextual
“The ancient documents mysteriously disappeared from the locked safe overnight without any sign of a break-in.”
complex
“The species, which had thrived for centuries in the isolated valley, mysteriously vanished from the fossil record long before the arrival of human settlers.”
Usage
Typically placed after the verb or at the end of the clause to describe the nature of an action.
Real-World Examples
“One unusual type is the so-called hot subdwarf—small stars that burn mysteriously hot for their size.” “For reasons that will later become clear, De Gaulle’s own story is mysteriously intertwined with that of a hothead young patriot, Fernand Bonnier de la Chapelle (Florian Lesieur), who is De Gaulle’s biggest fan.” Etymology
From Middle English misteriusly, equivalent to mysterious + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
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englishreference.com/q/mysteriously