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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
April 25: The moon will occult Regulus again at approximately 8:30 P.M. (depending on your location), though this time it will be best viewed from sites east of the Mississippi, where the pair will be higher in the sky.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2026
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
When To See The ‘snow Moon’ Occult Regulus Just a day after the full wolf supermoon, the near-full moon will occult Regulus for about an hour, as seen from the eastern half of North America.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
April 25: The moon will occult Regulus again at approximately 8:30 P.M. (depending on your location), though this time it will be best viewed from sites east of the Mississippi, where the pair will be higher in the sky.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for occult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occult
Adjective
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Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old temple in Denmark — offering a glimpse into the mysterious, once-powerful society that built it.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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The project imagines a Joseon princess whose songs conjure spontaneous wonderlands, before a moonlit portal transports her to a mysterious palace of history’s greatest artists.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Was there any thought of ending there and leaving what happens next ambiguous?—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
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But the broader dynamic is less ambiguous.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Interestingly, there is a magic number for gardeners to watch out for.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
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Article continues below The magic trick behind super-supernovas The theory connecting magnetars and superluminous supernovas was first suggested by Dan Kasen and Lars Bildsten of UC Berkeley and independently by Stanford Woosley of UC Santa Cruz.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Interference from Starlink and other satellites has already become frustratingly routine for astronomers, hampering science as celestial objects are obscured, and the problem is only going to get worse.—
Jonathan O'Callaghan,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
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Often, the design’s playfulness obscures the protagonist’s malaise.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The lyrics are often cryptic and clipped, but bear evidence of turbulence and tumult.—
Colin Joyce,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 2026
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His heroes aren’t athletes or movie stars but anonymous Twitter accounts—anime avatars and pseudonyms with cryptic bios—whose followers track their trades with devotional intensity.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
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Operating within those parameters, the mystic outlands trend extends to some of the world’s most mesmerizing corners.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Very famous people—Diana, Versace, Carolyn, John, Lauren—died at the very end of this sort of magical decade.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
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Hawke says Wishful Thinking — in which a couple’s ups and downs turn out to have magical power over the world around them — appealed to her love of high-concept movies.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Doja’s assistant slips through, gives me the thumbs-up, and ushers me into a dressing room the size of a tennis court, black velvet curtains concealing the walls.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2026
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Beyond that, the county has concealed most legal bills from the process — fees paid to outside lawyers and investigators who built the case against Corpus and looked into her counter-accusations — citing attorney-client privilege.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Occult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occult. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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