Cryptic means mysteriously puzzling or hard to understand, like a message written in code that you need to figure out. When someone leaves a cryptic note that says “Meet me where the clock stops at midnight,” you know something's up, but you'll need to solve the puzzle to understand what they mean.

A cryptic crossword puzzle uses clever wordplay and hidden clues instead of straightforward definitions. A cryptic comment from a friend might leave you wondering what they really meant. When a fortune cookie gives you a cryptic message like “The answer lies in the question,” you're left scratching your head, trying to decode it.

Scientists use the word too: a cryptic species is one that's hard to distinguish from similar species because the differences are hidden or subtle. You might also hear about cryptic coloring in animals, camouflage that makes them nearly impossible to spot.

The key to something being cryptic is that the meaning exists but requires effort to uncover. It's not nonsense, just deliberately mysterious or obscure. When your teacher writes a cryptic hint on the board before a lesson, they're challenging you to think and discover the answer yourself.