abstruse

ab·struse

adjective \əb-ˈstrüs, ab-\

Definition of ABSTRUSE

: difficult to comprehend : recondite <the abstruse calculations of mathematicians>

— ab·struse·ly adverb

— ab·struse·ness noun

Examples of ABSTRUSE

1. Her subject matter is abstruse.
2. <you're not the only one who finds Einstein's theory of relativity abstruse>

Origin of ABSTRUSE

Latin abstrusus, from past participle of abstrudere to conceal, from abs-, ab- + trudere to push — more at threat

First Known Use: 1599

Related to ABSTRUSE

Synonyms

profound, arcane, deep, esoteric, hermetic (also hermetical), recondite

Antonyms

shallow, superficial

Related Words

erudite, learned, scholarly; academic (also academical), pedantic; complex, complicated, hard; darkling, enigmatic (also enigmatical), inscrutable, mysterious, mystic, mystical, orphic, uncanny; impenetrable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, unintelligible; ambiguous, cryptic; unanswerable, unknowable; baffling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, disorienting, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling

Near Antonyms

easy, facile, simple, straightforward; comprehensible, fathomable, intelligible, understandable; apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, lucid, manifest, obvious, perspicuous, plain, transparent

Rhymes with ABSTRUSE

Aarhus, abuse, adduce, Atreus, blue spruce, burnoose, caboose, Cayuse, Cepheus, ceruse, charmeuse, chartreuse, Chartreuse, conduce, couscous, cut loose, deduce, diffuse, disuse, educe, effuse, excuse, fair use, footloose, hang loose, induce, Lanús, misuse, mongoose, Morpheus, negus, obtuse, Orpheus, papoose, Peleus, Perseus, prepuce, produce, profuse, Proteus, Purus, recluse, red spruce, reduce, refuse, retuse, reuse, Sanctus, seduce, slip noose, snow goose, Tereus, Theseus, traduce, transduce, turn loose, unloose, vamoose