The ancient inscription remained cryptic until linguists deciphered its symbolic script using a bilingual tablet.
直到语言学家利用一块双语石碑破译了其符号文字，这段古代铭文才不再晦涩难解。
Which choice best defines “cryptic”?
A — Mysterious; obscure in meaning.. “cryptic” means Mysterious; obscure in meaning..
Which word means “Mysterious; obscure in meaning.”?
D — cryptic. “cryptic” means Mysterious; obscure in meaning..
cryptic — Mysterious; obscure in meaning.. In Chinese: 神秘的；含义隐晦的.
cryptic is pronounced //ˈkrɪptɪk//.
The ancient inscription remained cryptic until linguists deciphered its symbolic script using a bilingual tablet. (直到语言学家利用一块双语石碑破译了其符号文字，这段古代铭文才不再晦涩难解。)
mysterious, enigmatic, obscure — all close in meaning to cryptic (Mysterious; obscure in meaning.).
clear, obvious — each the opposite of cryptic (Mysterious; obscure in meaning.).
Yes. cryptic is on the SAT Prep Difficult list — the higher-register words that decide the hard questions. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
crypt(隐藏) → 藏起真意 → 费解。