esoteric

adjective

es·o·ter·ic ˌe-sə-ˈter-ik How to pronounce esoteric (audio)

-ˈte-rik

: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone

a body of esoteric legal doctrine

B. N. Cardozo

: requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group

esoteric terminology

broadly : difficult to understand

esoteric subjects

: limited to a small circle

engaging in esoteric pursuits

: private, confidential

an esoteric purpose

: of special, rare, or unusual interest

esoteric building materials

esoterically

ˌe-sə-ˈter-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce esoteric (audio)

-ˈte-ri-

adverb

Did you know?

What is the opposite of esoteric?

The opposite of esoteric is exoteric, which means "suitable to be imparted to the public." According to one account, those who were deemed worthy to attend the Greek philosopher Aristotle's learned discussions were known as his "esoterics," his confidants, while those who merely attended his popular evening lectures were called his "exoterics." Since material that is geared toward a target audience is often not as easily comprehensible to outside observers, esoteric acquired an extended meaning of "difficult to understand." Both esoteric and exoteric started appearing in English in the 17th century; esoteric traces back to ancient Greek by way of the Late Latin esotericus. The Greek esōterikos is based on the comparative form of esō, which means "within."

Synonyms

abstruse
arcane
deep
hermetic
hermetical
profound
recondite

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

A kahuna is a master of Hawaiian esoteric practices. Recently, Mariko Gordon and Hugh Cosman engaged a kahuna to bless their house. …

Alec Wilkinson, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2002 … he listens to a group of Malaysians playing reedy, plangent music on some esoteric kind of wind instrument.

Penelope Lively, City of the Mind, 1991 There was a new mall, an excellent bookstore with esoteric literary and policy journals, some restaurants with cosmopolitan menus, and engaging real estate advertisements.

Robert D. Kaplan, An Empire Wilderness, 1988 metaphysics is such an esoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers must have had some esoteric motive for leaving his art collection to a museum halfway around the globe

Recent Examples on the Web Joined by the rhythm section of Bill Berry and Mike Mills, R.E.M. worked up a jangly yet esoteric sound – equal parts Velvet Underground and The Byrds — that quickly became their signature.

Al Shipley, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2022 The Bell and Raven is a peaceful little shop in Simsbury specializing in paganism, mysticism, ancient magical practices, divination and other esoteric traditions.

Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2022 Other times, the code is for performance improvement, new features, or fixes for esoteric and uncommon bugs that don’t have the same urgency.

Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Aug. 2022 Post spin, Labcorp (Stub entity) will retain its laboratory business comprising of routine and esoteric labs, central labs, and early development research labs.

Joe Cornell, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 For too long, these restaurateurs believe, the fine-dining world has been an echo chamber of esoteric techniques, sustained by self-aggrandizing menus and buzzwords like foraged and grass-fed that make cash registers sing.

Mehr Singh, Bon Appétit, 18 July 2022 The film also removes much of Owens’s esoteric language about Kya’s connection to wildlife, making the material feel like a Nicholas Sparks project.

Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 July 2022 There’s something a bit subversive about hot pink, a little bit trollish, a little bit esoteric.

Katy Kelleher, refinery29.com, 14 July 2022 That makes his newest project, Wagenmusik — an EP out July 14 that diverges from his usually esoteric sound to make a more accessible kind of dance music — all the more surprising.

Arielle Lana Lejarde, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2022 See More

单词	esoteric
释义	esoteric adjective es·o·ter·ic ˌe-sə-ˈter-ik -ˈte-rik 1 a : designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone a body of esoteric legal doctrine B. N. Cardozo b : requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group esoteric terminology broadly : difficult to understand esoteric subjects 2 a : limited to a small circle engaging in esoteric pursuits b : private, confidential an esoteric purpose 3 : of special, rare, or unusual interest esoteric building materials esoterically ˌe-sə-ˈter-i-k(ə-)lē -ˈte-ri- adverb Did you know? What is the opposite of esoteric? The opposite of esoteric is exoteric, which means "suitable to be imparted to the public." According to one account, those who were deemed worthy to attend the Greek philosopher Aristotle's learned discussions were known as his "esoterics," his confidants, while those who merely attended his popular evening lectures were called his "exoterics." Since material that is geared toward a target audience is often not as easily comprehensible to outside observers, esoteric acquired an extended meaning of "difficult to understand." Both esoteric and exoteric started appearing in English in the 17th century; esoteric traces back to ancient Greek by way of the Late Latin esotericus. The Greek esōterikos is based on the comparative form of esō, which means "within." Synonyms abstruse arcane deep hermetic hermetical profound recondite See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences A kahuna is a master of Hawaiian esoteric practices. Recently, Mariko Gordon and Hugh Cosman engaged a kahuna to bless their house. … Alec Wilkinson, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2002 … he listens to a group of Malaysians playing reedy, plangent music on some esoteric kind of wind instrument. Penelope Lively, City of the Mind, 1991 There was a new mall, an excellent bookstore with esoteric literary and policy journals, some restaurants with cosmopolitan menus, and engaging real estate advertisements. Robert D. Kaplan, An Empire Wilderness, 1988 metaphysics is such an esoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers must have had some esoteric motive for leaving his art collection to a museum halfway around the globe Recent Examples on the Web Joined by the rhythm section of Bill Berry and Mike Mills, R.E.M. worked up a jangly yet esoteric sound – equal parts Velvet Underground and The Byrds — that quickly became their signature. Al Shipley, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2022 The Bell and Raven is a peaceful little shop in Simsbury specializing in paganism, mysticism, ancient magical practices, divination and other esoteric traditions. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2022 Other times, the code is for performance improvement, new features, or fixes for esoteric and uncommon bugs that don’t have the same urgency. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Aug. 2022 Post spin, Labcorp (Stub entity) will retain its laboratory business comprising of routine and esoteric labs, central labs, and early development research labs. Joe Cornell, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 For too long, these restaurateurs believe, the fine-dining world has been an echo chamber of esoteric techniques, sustained by self-aggrandizing menus and buzzwords like foraged and grass-fed that make cash registers sing. Mehr Singh, Bon Appétit, 18 July 2022 The film also removes much of Owens’s esoteric language about Kya’s connection to wildlife, making the material feel like a Nicholas Sparks project. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 July 2022 There’s something a bit subversive about hot pink, a little bit trollish, a little bit esoteric. Katy Kelleher, refinery29.com, 14 July 2022 That makes his newest project, Wagenmusik — an EP out July 14 that diverges from his usually esoteric sound to make a more accessible kind of dance music — all the more surprising. Arielle Lana Lejarde, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Late Latin esotericus, from Greek esōterikos, from esōterō, comparative of eisō, esō within, from eis into; akin to Greek en in — more at in First Known Use circa 1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1a esoteric adjective 1 as in profound difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand metaphysics is such an esoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance profound recondite arcane abstruse mystical ambiguous hermetic academic scholarly deep complicated mystic confusing enigmatic cryptic complex hermetical academical mysterious erudite enigmatical inscrutable incomprehensible pedantic uncanny orphic unintelligible learned mystifying unfathomable baffling perplexing unknowable bewildering puzzling impenetrable darkling confounding unanswerable hard disorienting Antonyms & Near Antonyms superficial simple straightforward shallow easy comprehensible intelligible obvious understandable distinct facile apparent plain lucid evident clear transparent fathomable manifest perspicuous clear-cut See More 2 as in confidential not known or meant to be known by the general populace must have had some esoteric motive for leaving his art collection to a museum halfway around the globe Synonyms & Similar Words confidential private secret classified undisclosed personal hidden intimate nonpublic clandestine restricted inside privy hush-hush undercover concealed conspiratorial occult behind-the-scenes top secret unmentioned hushed unadvertised underground covert unsaid surreptitious collusive untold closet silent furtive stealthy sneaky underhanded suppressed closeted repressed sneak underhand unannounced silenced backstage stifled offstage offscreen hugger-mugger sneaking Antonyms & Near Antonyms common public open general popular vulgar broadcast publicized widespread current prevailing prevalent professed advertised heralded well-known aired disclosed published proclaimed blazed promulgated reported communal declared announced rife enunciated divulged spotlighted shared See More
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esoteric

adjective

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adjective