hermetic

her·met·ic

adj \(ˌ)hər-ˈme-tik\

Definition of HERMETIC

1

often capitalized a : of or relating to the Gnostic writings or teachings arising in the first three centuries a.d. and attributed to Hermes Trismegistus b : relating to or characterized by occultism or abstruseness : recondite

2

[from the belief that Hermes Trismegistus invented a magic seal to keep vessels airtight] a : airtight <hermetic seal> b : impervious to external influence <trapped inside the hermetic military machine — Jack Newfield> c : recluse, solitary <leads a hermetic life>

— her·met·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Variants of HERMETIC

her·met·ic also her·met·i·cal \-ti-kəl\

Examples of HERMETIC

1. <wrote hermetic poetry whose sole intended readership was himself>

Origin of HERMETIC

Medieval Latin hermeticus, from Hermet-, Hermes Trismegistus

First Known Use: 1605

Related to HERMETIC

Synonyms: abstruse, arcane, deep, esoteric, profound (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

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Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

Rhymes with HERMETIC

aesthetic, ascetic, athletic, balletic, bathetic, cometic, cosmetic, eidetic, emetic, frenetic, gametic, genetic, limnetic, magnetic, mimetic, noetic, Ossetic, paretic, pathetic, phenetic, phonetic, phyletic, poetic, prophetic, prosthetic, pyretic, splenetic, syncretic, syndetic, synthetic, tonetic, Venetic