- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
  Log In

esoteric

adjective

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

-ˈte-rik

Synonyms ofesoteric next

:designed for or understood by the speciallyinitiated alone

a body ofesoteric 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 inesoteric pursuits

:private,confidential

anesoteric 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 ofesoteric?

The opposite ofesoteric isexoteric, 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." Bothesoteric andexoteric started appearing in English in the 17th century;esoteric traces back to ancient Greek by way of the Late Latinesotericus. The Greekesōterikos is based on the comparative form ofesō, which means "within."

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples ofesoteric in a Sentence

A kahuna is a master of Hawaiianesoteric 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 someesoteric kind of wind instrument.—

Penelope Lively,City of the Mind,1991

There was a new mall, an excellent bookstore withesoteric literary and policy journals, some restaurants with cosmopolitan menus, and engaging real estate advertisements.—

Robert D. Kaplan,An Empire Wilderness,1988

metaphysics is such anesoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers must have had someesoteric motive for leaving his art collection to a museum halfway around the globe

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.

Newesotericspiritual movements had begun sweeping across Europe.—

Jay Cheshes,Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025While the issue may seemesoteric, the impact is anything but.—

Seth Joseph,Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025Joe Reid: Dune: Part Two is absolutely The Last of Us: a big-budget adaptation of source material that manages to be both widely popular but alsoesotericat the same time.—

Joe Reid,Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025No matter how seeminglyesotericthat idea might be, too much of our world is interwoven to be totally divorced from our existence.—

Erik Klemetti,Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025See All Example Sentences foresoteric