as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
you're not the only one who finds Einstein's theory of relativity abstruse
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Recent Examples of abstruse
Some questioned what the White House could gain from reviewing abstruse rules for nuclear safety.
—
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 9 May 2025
To emphasize the importance of math, Winkler displayed a handful of abstruse equations.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025
The result is a topsy-turvy movie that is also spiritually profound in ways that the Marvel and DC franchises don’t dare but that became abstruse and chaotic in Snyder’s many Rebel Moon iterations.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
However, at the OXY ARTS gallery in Los Angeles, that abstruse portrait of Sagittarius A* looks a little different.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstruse
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 9 May 2025
To emphasize the importance of math, Winkler displayed a handful of abstruse equations.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025
The result is a topsy-turvy movie that is also spiritually profound in ways that the Marvel and DC franchises don’t dare but that became abstruse and chaotic in Snyder’s many Rebel Moon iterations.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
However, at the OXY ARTS gallery in Los Angeles, that abstruse portrait of Sagittarius A* looks a little different.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstruse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstruse
Adjective
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Other of these esoteric features might actually be worth seeking out.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Oct. 2025
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Duran had published articles on Tan and his wealthy colleagues, like Balaji Srinivasan, a tech investor who was promoting an esoteric but stubbornly influential concept called the Network State.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Researchers believe the impact would have had a profound effect on the surrounding environment, reshaping landscapes and potentially influencing local ecosystems.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
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Set in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest, the film stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a solitary railroad worker navigating profound personal loss as the American frontier expands around him.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstruse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstruse. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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