esoteric

adjective

ˌe-sə-ˈter-ik How to pronounce esoteric (audio)
Definition of esotericnext
1
as in profound
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand metaphysics is such an esoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confidential
not known or meant to be known by the general populace must have had some esoteric motive for leaving his art collection to a museum halfway around the globe

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of esoteric Or Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel SS26, which launched in-store to a swarm of editors, discerning celebs, and high-profile figures — many vying to get their hands on the esoteric mint croc pumps. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 But then Mehmet is let go from his job teaching esoteric music practices to university students and the household’s sole steady source of income is gone. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026 Their job is to reduce the world to a series of numbers that can be punched into increasingly complex statistical equations and published in esoteric journals with high barriers to entry and minuscule readerships. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 Another challenge is that though the Langlands program is sweeping and unifying, the mathematical correspondences themselves are excruciatingly specific and esoteric. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for esoteric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for esoteric
  1. profound
  2. confidential
  3. scholarly
  4. private
  5. secret
  6. undisclosed
Adjective
  • A student victory would be a profound political shift in ​the Balkan country of some 6 million people, reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban in April.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The shifts could have profound implications for the more than $5 trillion in assets managed by family offices.
    — Robert Frank, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of profound
Adjective
  • In April, a US Army soldier was arrested and charged with using confidential information to make $410,000 in Polymarket bets on the timing of the military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Keeping the information confidential was consistent with state protocol, a spokesperson in his department said, adding that it was still shared with local health officials.
    — Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of confidential
Adjective
  • If the source is a scholarly journal article, the article’s title appears in a larger font above the additional bibliographic information.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Generating scholarly tomes at a rate of more than one a year involves obsessive amounts of research.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of scholarly
Adjective
  • In August, Spencer Spirit agreed to buy Hot Topic, BoxLunch and Her Universe from Sycamore Partners, which took Hot Topic private in 2013 for about $600 million.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The board will also calculate the amount of wealth subject to the tax using publicly available stock information and private assessments of personal property, such as artwork and jewelry.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of private
Adjective
  • Perhaps that doubt is the secret melancholy at the heart of even their most seemingly celebratory songs.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • On Monday, a court granted the US government’s request to deny release of a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a top-secret conference room to steal the frontier lab’s secrets.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of secret
Adjective
  • American technology giant Qualcomm announced plans this week to execute a new round of global layoffs, though exact figures remain undisclosed.
    — , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Flyers forward Tyson Foerster returned to the lineup after a one-game absence because of an undisclosed injury.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of undisclosed

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esculent
esoteric
esotericism
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Cite this Entry

“Esoteric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/esoteric. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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