Cryptic

Meaning

Mysterious or obscure in meaning; hidden, encoded, or deliberately puzzling.

Origin / Etymology

From Greek 'kryptikos' (hidden), from 'kryptos' (hidden, secret). Same root as 'cryptography' and 'crypt'.

Synonyms

Enigmatic Opaque Esoteric

Antonyms

Lucid Transparent Self-evident

Example Sentence

"RSA, ECC, and other cryptic asymmetric algorithms that secure the modern internet will be broken in polynomial time once Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQCs) mature in the 2030s."

🎯 UPSC Usage

GS3 S&T: Use for encryption, cryptography, intelligence-tradecraft contexts. Also useful for opaque communiqués and ambiguous diplomatic language.

Relevant Subjects

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