occult

1 of 4

verb

oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-
occulted; occulting; occults
Synonyms of occult

transitive verb

: to shut off from view or exposure : cover, eclipse
… the light of a star that was about to be occulted … by Uranus itself …—Jonathan Eberhart
occulter noun

occult

2 of 4

adjective

oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-;
ˈä-ˌkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
1
: not revealed : secret
… deep subterranean occult jealousy …—J. C. Powys
2
: not easily apprehended or understood : abstruse, mysterious
… occult matters like nuclear physics, radiation effects and the designing of rockets …—Robert Bendiner
3
: hidden from view : concealed
occult underground passages
4
: of or relating to supernatural or supernormal powers or practices or the knowledge of them
… the occult arts—astrology, palmistry, card reading …—Amy Fine Collins
occult practices
5
: not manifest or detectable by clinical methods alone
occult carcinoma
also : not present in macroscopic amounts
occult blood in a stool
occultly adverb

occult

3 of 4

noun (1)

oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-;
ˈä-ˌkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
: matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them
—used with the

occulter

4 of 4

noun (2)

oc·​cult·​er
əˈkəltə(r), 
ˈäˌk-
plural -s
: an occulting opaque object

Synonyms of occult

Relevance

Verb

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of occult in a Sentence

Verb 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 Adjective occult practices such as magic and fortune-telling He began to believe he had occult powers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
In fact, the speedy planet is occulted (hidden) by the sun's disk, but of course, this event is unobservable. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 May 2026 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
Adjective
There are even said to be more occult faith healers than medical doctors. — Harriet Marsden, theweek, 23 Sep. 2024 There, a new school of artists, thinkers and card readers began to see tarot as infused with a deep, occult significance. — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
Grave Season's occult elements are creepy. — Jacqueline Goldblatt, PC Magazine, 13 June 2026 Why can't everyone see the moon occult Regulus? — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for occult

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (2)

in part back-formation from occultation, in part continuing Middle English occulten "to keep secret, conceal," borrowed from Latin occultāre "to prevent from being seen, conceal, keep secret," frequentative derivative of occulere "to hide from view, conceal"

Adjective

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin occultus "hidden from sight, secret, esoteric," from past participle of occulere "to hide from view, conceal," from oc-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -culere, from a verb base *cel- "hide," going back to Indo-European *ḱel- "cover, conceal" — more at conceal

Noun (1)

noun derivative of occult entry 2

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of occult was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing occult

Rhymes for occult

See All Rhymes for occult

Browse Nearby Words

occn
occult
occultation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Occult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occult. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

occult

1 of 3 verb
oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-
: to shut off from view : cover, eclipse

occult

2 of 3 adjective
oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio) ä- How to pronounce occult (audio)
ˈäk-əlt
1
: beyond understanding : mysterious
2
: of or relating to supernatural forces

occult

3 of 3 noun
ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio) ä- How to pronounce occult (audio)
ˈäk-əlt
: matters thought to involve the influence of supernatural forces

Medical Definition

occult

adjective
oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio) ˈäk-ˌəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
: not manifest or detectable by clinical methods alone
occult carcinoma
also : not present in macroscopic amounts
occult blood in a stool specimen
fecal occult blood testing
compare gross sense 1b

More from Merriam-Webster on occult

Nglish: Translation of occult for Spanish Speakers

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