mystification

/ˌmɪstəfɪˈkeɪʃən/

Other forms: mystifications

Mystification is a state of being utterly confused or bewildered. If you haven't been paying attention in calculus class, a difficult homework assignment will probably make you feel complete mystification.

When something mystifies you, it is deeply perplexing — it makes absolutely no sense. Mystification is the result, a kind of dazed or discombobulated feeling. Your mystification may result from a philosophy book's obscure language, the fact that your friend just started speaking Urdu, or the mere concept that the stars you see in the night sky may not exist any more. The Latin root is mysticus, "of secret rites."

Definitions of mystification

1. noun

   confusion resulting from failure to understand
   synonyms: bafflement, befuddlement, bemusement, bewilderment, obfuscation, puzzlement

   type of:

   confusedness, confusion, disarray, mental confusion, muddiness

   a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior
2. noun

   something designed to mystify or bewilder
   type of:

   artefact, artifact

   a man-made object taken as a whole
3. noun

   the activity of obscuring people's understanding, leaving them baffled or bewildered
   synonyms: obfuscation

   type of:

   activity

   any specific behavior