esoteric

adjective

es·​o·​ter·​ic ˌe-sə-ˈter-ik How to pronounce esoteric (audio)
-ˈte-rik
1
a
: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone
a body of esoteric legal doctrineB. 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 adverb

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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."

Examples of esoteric in a Sentence

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 Indeed, some people believe that the Times puzzle arbitrates which facts and public figures every American should know—or, alternatively, what kinds of esoteric trivia are especially impressive to have in one’s back pocket. Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 Even by the frequently esoteric standards of the Berlin Film Festival, this is an adventurous selection, a formalist art film that might seem more at home in a festival like Rotterdam or even in Berlin’s experimental-friendly Forum sidebar. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 Of course, there’s a driver to take you the 90-second journey to the central lifts and a concierge, too, who’ll finesse any of your needs, from the mundane to the esoteric. Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024 Instead, Carlson posed increasingly esoteric questions — including whether any world leader could be a true Christian — and at times appeared to goad Putin into alleging a U.S. deep state and promote other conspiracy theories. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 Importantly, this decade-long commitment is not rooted in any esoteric HR philosophy, but in practical strategies. Cameron Yarbrough, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Maimonides insists that the Bible be appreciated as an esoteric text. Randy L. Friedman, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024 The engine of the story, which is teeming with jokes and inside jokes, critiques and self-critiques, as well as esoteric allusions, is Keesha’s desire to transcend the confines of the Blackground by securing her own autonomous plotline. Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024 It was eventually brought out by Rusconi, an emerging publishing house that was establishing its name with editions of books by esoteric reactionary thinkers such as Ernst Jünger, Joseph de Maistre, and René Guénon. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'esoteric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of esoteric was circa 1660

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Cite this Entry

“Esoteric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esoteric. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

esoteric

adjective
es·​o·​ter·​ic ˌes-ə-ˈter-ik How to pronounce esoteric (audio)
1
: taught to or understood by members of a special group
esoteric knowledge
2
: hard to understand
esoteric subjects
3
: of special or unusual interest
esoteric colors
esoterically adverb

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