Definition of ESOTERIC

esoteric

Plural: esoterics

Adjective

  • Understood by or meant for only a small, specialized group.
  • confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
    • "a compilation of esoteric philosophical theories"

Adj

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

Noun

  • An esoteric doctrine or treatise; esoteric philosophy.
  • One who believes, or is an initiate, in esoteric doctrines or rites.

Examples

  • an esoteric meeting
  • an esoteric purpose
  • His ESOTERIC vocabulary often left opponents consulting the Scrabble dictionary in bewilderment.
  • The writing in this manual is very esoteric; I’d need a degree in engineering just to understand it!

Origin / Etymology

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).

Antonyms

exoteric

Scrabble Score: 10

esoteric: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
esoteric: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
esoteric: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

esoteric: valid Words With Friends Word