cryptic

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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🗓️ 28 February 2025

⏱️ 2 minutes

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Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 28, 2025 is:

cryptic • \KRIP-tik\ • adjective

Something described as cryptic has or seems to have a hidden meaning, or is difficult to understand.

// The singer posted a cryptic message on her social media accounts, and fans raced to decipher it.

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Examples:

"When Neon first met with 'Longlegs' writer-director Osgood Perkins, [chief marketing officer, Christian] Parkes' team pitched a cryptic viral ad campaign that put viewers in the perspective of Maika Monroe's detective. ... 'We give the audience these clues that they can piece together to unlock the mystery of the film,' Parkes explains." — Tim Grierson, The Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025

Did you know?

The history of cryptic starts with krýptein, a Greek word meaning "to hide or conceal." Can you uncover other krýptein relatives in English? Not surprisingly, crypt, meaning "underground chamber," is one, as is the name of the element krypton. Krýptein also gave us several words having to do with secret codes, such as cryptogram ("a communication in cipher or code") and cryptography ("the coding and decoding of secret messages"). And cryptocurrency is currency that exists digitally and that relies on computer encryption (secret code) to prevent counterfeiting and fraud.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the Word of the Day podcast for February 28th.
0:09.9	At Matalan, it's time for another exclusive deal.
0:13.6	Matelan me members get 20% off when you spend 30 pounds or more.
0:18.2	And yes, that includes sale and selected brands. Is it time for a little
0:22.3	payday treat? Visit matelan.com.com to access your discount. Shop in store and online. Tees and
0:29.1	C-N-C-C-T-E-S apply. Today's word is cryptic, spelled C-R-Y-P-T-I-C, cryptic is an adjective.
0:38.3	Something described as cryptic has or seems to have a hidden meaning or is difficult to understand.
0:45.3	Here's the word used in a sentence from the LA Times by Tim Greerson.
0:49.3	When Neon first met with Long Legs, writer-director Osgood Perkins,
0:54.9	Parks's team pitched a cryptic viral ad campaign that put viewers in the perspective of
1:00.6	Maica Monroe's detective. We give the audience these clues that they can piece together
1:05.7	to unlock the mystery of the film, Parks explains. The history of the word cryptic starts with krypton,
1:13.3	a Greek word meaning to hide or conceal. Can you uncover other krypton relatives in English?
1:20.3	Not surprisingly, the word crypt, meaning underground chamber, is one, as is the name of the element
1:26.9	krypton.
1:33.3	Cryptine also gave us several words having to do with secret codes, such as cryptogram and cryptography, and cryptocurrency is currency that exists digitally and that
1:40.0	relies on computer encryption, or secret code, to prevent counterfeiting and fraud.
1:45.9	With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.
1:51.8	Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.

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