Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

esotericism

noun
es·o·ter·i·cism | \ˌe-sə-ˈter-ə-ˌsi-zəm, -ˈte-rə-\

Definition of esotericism 

1 : esoteric doctrines or practices

2 : the quality or state of being esoteric

Examples of esotericism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 In 1533, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa of Nettersheim, a young German nobleman, authored a groundbreaking work on different approaches to esotericism. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "A Beginner's Guide to Casting Your Own Spells at Home," 26 Mar. 2018 This started to take effect even before the Internet took off, on account of crate-digging, esotericism and obscurantism, and the burgeoning reissue industry. — Bruce Sterling, WIRED, "Musica Globalista: the farewell essay by Simon Reynolds, ‘Here Comes Everything’," 2 Sep. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'esotericism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of esotericism

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about esotericism

Share esotericism

Resources for esotericism

Cite Time Traveler Time Traveler! Explore the year a word first appeared

Dictionary Entries near esotericism

esophagus

esoteric

esoterica

esotericism

esoterism

esotery

Esox

Statistics for esotericism

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for esotericism

The first known use of esotericism was in 1846

See more words from the same year

More from Merriam-Webster on esotericism

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about esotericism

Comments on esotericism

What made you want to look up esotericism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

brouhaha

a state of commotion or excitement

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

  • the-triumph-of-venus-by-alessandro-magnasco
  • Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games