1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the occult ways in which the human mind works
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2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
an occult reference in the text that has puzzled scholars ever since
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3
as in magic
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
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as in to obscure
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of occult
Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
It’s a determinedly non-jokey supernatural thriller in which a group of Adelaide teens get in way over their heads playing an occult party game.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023
Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2025
From Korea alone, seven new projects spanning coming-of-age dramas to occult horror are seeking international co-production opportunities.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occult
Adjective
Speaking of infernal-sounding, pay close attention around the 4:30 mark here, and witness the occult-metal mastery of Mercyful Fate riffsmith Hank Shermann, abetted by his trusty partner Michael Denner.
—Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
It’s a determinedly non-jokey supernatural thriller in which a group of Adelaide teens get in way over their heads playing an occult party game.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023
Verb
Of course, many other (fainter) stars will also be occulted during the moon's passage through the cluster.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2025
From Korea alone, seven new projects spanning coming-of-age dramas to occult horror are seeking international co-production opportunities.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occult
Adjective
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People were interacting at workstations with computers, flipping through books on shelves, reading mysterious notes on desks and watching strange videos.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
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If anything, ChatGPT-3 has something of the oracular about it; for as mysterious as the writing process of any author may be in all sorts of intangible and ineffable ways, any person who works in words also understands what’s prosaic and gritty (and thus all the more beautiful) about writing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Even in agencies that have, some policies are weak or ambiguous.—
Ben Jones,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Even in agencies that have, some policies are weak or ambiguous.—
Ben Jones,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And then this magic area of just knowing how to communicate it and connect with players.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
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This was the year Kansas City lost its magic pixie dust … while ultimately scuffling to a 6-11 finish.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The regime imposed an internet blackout to obscure the scale of violence, and has admitted to around 2,000 deaths.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
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Where classifications obscure meaningful differences, the risk is that regulation becomes either overinclusive or ineffective, imposing burdens that do not address actual risks while failing to account for those that do.—
Susie Violet Ward,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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By contrast, fringe subcultures operate in a more cryptic and chaotic manner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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Heeding these cryptic words some three decades later, the audacious (and well-read) impresario Tony Wilson opened the Haçienda together with the circle of post-punk musicians and designers involved with his label, Factory Records.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Although Nuccio is as down to earth as anyone could be, and definitely not a mystic, there can be no disputing his stature as a remarkable man.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
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Madonna was born and raised Catholic but has long practiced the Jewish mystic tradition of Kabbalah and adopted the Hebrew name Esther in 2004, per The Forward.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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For this magical season to continue, the Patriots must stress their base plays and cleverest counters.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
15 Jan. 2026
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Expanding to older audiences and exploring new themes, Mattel publishing is eager to collaborate with Aster to continue growing their book community and bring new authors into the magical world of Barbie.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Human rights activists say the blackout was also a strategic move to conceal the realities on the ground and suppress public reaction.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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The theme is repeated on the interior of the angular panels lining the surfaces of the private theater, which either conceal or reveal serious tech gear depending on whether the lights are on or off.—
Kathryn O’Shea-Evans,
Robb Report,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Occult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occult. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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