esoteric
esoteric Lexical Profile
esoteric Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
"The professor's lecture on quantum field theory was so esoteric that only a handful of graduate students could follow it."
Relating to secret, mystical, or spiritual doctrines and practices taught only to an initiated inner circle.
"She spent years studying esoteric traditions and ancient alchemical texts from the Renaissance."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often contrasted with 'exoteric', which describes knowledge that is suitable for and accessible to the general public, 'esoteric' specifically denotes ideas restricted to an inner circle of initiates or specialists.
• Rhymes for esoteric
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Ancient Greek 'esōterikos' (belonging to an inner circle), from 'esōteros' (inner), the comparative form of 'esō' (within), originally applied to the private doctrines taught by Pythagoras and Aristotle only to their select disciples.