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
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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
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Recent Examples of esoteric
Thus began an extended conversation about esoteric sounds that has continued to this day.
—
Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
These esoteric Calabi-Yau structures, formerly on the frontier of theoretical physics, could be just the beginning.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
Everyone knows Gaudí’s architecture; his furniture is a more esoteric thing.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 20 May 2025
His tastes ebbed and flowed between aggressive music and more esoteric tastes, as his collaborators came to range from Richard Thompson to Hal Willner, whose tribute to Federico Fellini and Nino Rota included contributions from Thomas, as did a collection of sea shanties.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for esoteric
Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
These esoteric Calabi-Yau structures, formerly on the frontier of theoretical physics, could be just the beginning.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
Everyone knows Gaudí’s architecture; his furniture is a more esoteric thing.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 20 May 2025
His tastes ebbed and flowed between aggressive music and more esoteric tastes, as his collaborators came to range from Richard Thompson to Hal Willner, whose tribute to Federico Fellini and Nino Rota included contributions from Thomas, as did a collection of sea shanties.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for esoteric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for esoteric
Adjective
-
There’s a huge sense of deep and profound peace and renewal.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
-
The ripple effect in the state economy could be profound, Anthony said.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Her usual duties included accessing confidential deputy records and internal affairs investigations.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
-
The city argued the policy was confidential, and would interfere with the department’s ability to fight crime.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
This was of national interest, not just private economic interest.—
Laura Poppick,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
-
The expansion fee is a record $250 million, according to two sources who requested anonymity because the discussions were private.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Peter Vack This fictional tale collapses the internet, theater, and the movie screen into a dystopian world where, with the creation of a world blurring online and offline, the three merge into a secret fourth thing.—
Matt Shaw,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Amazon’s secret outlet has more than 20,000 markdowns on summer clothing and accessories.—
Emily Weaver,
People.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
Warner Chappell publishing recently made an undisclosed deal for Tom Petty’s catalog.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
1 July 2025
-
It was settled for an undisclosed amount in November 1995.—
Danielle Bacher,
People.com,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Esoteric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/esoteric. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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