unsolved mystery
/ʌnˈsɒlvd ˈmɪstəri/
Very CommonAn event, crime, disappearance, or phenomenon that has never been explained to a widely accepted conclusion.
Tone varies widely. Some unsolved mysteries are treated with somber seriousness. Others are shared as fascinating rabbit holes. The phrase also covers non-criminal mysteries, unlike cold case.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | the Dyatlov Pass incident is the unsolved mystery I keep coming back to. nothing makes sense. | Returning obsessively to a particular case because no explanation is satisfying. | reddit, 2022 |
| 02 | sending you this unsolved mystery thread so you can also be unable to sleep tonight | Sharing something genuinely unsettling with the intent of passing on the obsession. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | I went looking for a recipe and ended up reading about an unsolved mystery for two hours | Getting distracted by a rabbit hole unintentionally. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | the DB Cooper case is the original unsolved mystery and we still have no idea | Citing a famous unresolved case as a foundational example of the genre. | reddit, 2022 |
Use it when
- Referring to a case where no explanation has been proven.
- Sharing a story about something unexplained or disputed.
- Discussing content that covers strange or unresolved events.
- Describing something beyond crime, like a historical anomaly or unexplained disappearance.
Do not use it when
- The case is officially closed and solved.
- You specifically mean a dormant police investigation.Use “cold case” instead.
Unsolved mystery vs cold case
unsolved mystery
Unsolved mystery is a broad category covering any unexplained event, not just crimes.
VS
cold-case
Cold case is a law enforcement term for a specific inactive criminal investigation.
Origin and context
Common phrase in crime and paranormal media that became a cultural category through TV shows like Unsolved Mysteries (1987) and the growth of online communities dedicated to researching unexplained events.
- First seen
- pre-2000s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/unsolved-mysteryUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0