esoteric

CEFRC1

/ˌiː.səʊˈtɛɹ.ɪk/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Known or understood by only a small group of people.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Confidential; private.

Examples

  • The writing in this manual is very esoteric; I’d need a degree in engineering just to understand it!

  • The Druze follow an esoteric religion.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
2
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˌes.əˈteɹ.ɪk/
  • /ˌɛs.əˈtɛɹ.ɪk/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Having to do with concepts that are highly theoretical and without obvious practical application; often with mystical or religious connotations.

  2. Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest, or an enlightened inner circle.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. An esoteric doctrine or treatise; esoteric philosophy.

More examples

In context

  • It's an esoteric debate.

  • an esoteric meeting

  • an esoteric purpose

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐσωτερικός (esōterikós, “belonging to an inner circle”), from ἐσωτέρω (esōtérō, “further inside”), comparative of ἔσω (ésō, “within”), from ἐς (es), εἰς (eis, “into”) (the term esoteric referred originally to the secret teachings of Greek philosophers, versus public or exoteric ones).