occult

1 being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain the occult ways in which the human mind works Synonyms arcane, cryptic, deep, enigmatic (also enigmatical), impenetrable, inscrutable, mystic, mysterious, uncannyRelated Words dark, darkling, fuzzy, murky, obscure, shadowy, vague; ambiguous, equivocal; imponderable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, unintelligible, unsearchable; inexplicable, unaccountable, unexplainable; unanswerable, unknowable; metaphysical, mystical, numinous, supernatural; abstruse, esoteric, recondite; baffling, befuddling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, disorienting, mystifying, perplexing, puzzlingNear Antonyms fathomable, intelligible, understandable; apparent, clear, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable

2 having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning an occult reference in the text that has puzzled scholars ever since Synonyms ambiguous, arcane, cryptic, dark, deep, Delphic, double-edged, elliptical (or elliptic), enigmatic (also enigmatical), equivocal, fuliginous, inscrutable, murky, mysterious, mystic, nebulous, obscure, opaqueRelated Words abstruse, esoteric, recondite; cloaked, concealed, disguised, masked, shrouded; beclouded, bedimmed, befogged, clouded, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, muddy, obfuscatory, obnubilated, obscurant (or obscurantic), shaded, shadowlike, shadowy, sphinxlike; indefinite, inexact, inexplicit, noncommittal, questionable, unclear, uncertain, undefined, undetermined, vague; impenetrable, incomprehensible, indecipherable, inexplicable; eerie (also eery), uncanny, weird; impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible; unanswerable, unknowable; baffling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling, unfathomable; circuitous, indirect, roundabout; complex, complicated, difficult, obtuseNear Antonyms comprehensible, fathomable, intelligible, knowable, legible, pellucid, understandable; bright, distinct, evident, self-evident, self-explanatory; certain, firm, strong, sure; defined, determined; direct, straightforward; definite, exact, explicit; appreciable, palpable, tangible, visible; blatant, patent, unmistakableAntonyms accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal

3 having seemingly supernatural qualities or powers Great Britain's Stonehenge is one of those occult places where people expect something of cosmic significance to happen Synonyms magic, magical, numinous, mystic, weirdRelated Words bewitched, enchanted, spellbound; bewitching, charming, conjuring, enchanting, wiling; amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, extraordinary, fabulous, marvelous (or marvellous), miraculous, portentous, stunning, stupendous, sublime, wondrous; divining, forecasting, foreknowing, foreseeing, foretelling, fortune-telling, predicting, presaging, prognosticating, prophesying, soothsaying; metaphysical, preternatural, unearthly; paranormal, supernormalNear Antonyms commonplace, everyday, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday

to keep secret or shut off from view occulted their house from prying eyes by planting large trees around it the actor's private life had long been occulted by a contrived public persona Synonyms belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, mask, obscure, hide, paper over, screen, shroud, suppress, veilRelated Words bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother; gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash; becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shadeNear Antonyms bring out, present; clarify, illuminate; advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spreadAntonyms bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil