Definition of EXOTERIC

exoteric

Plural: exoterics

Adjective

  • Suitable for or understood by the general public.
  • suitable for the general public
    • "writings of an exoteric nature"

Adj

  • Of a doctrine, information, etc.: suitable to be imparted to the public without secrecy or other reservations.
  • Of a doctrine, information, etc.: suitable to be imparted to the public without secrecy or other reservations.
  • Of a person: not part of an enlightened inner circle; not privy to esoteric knowledge.
  • Capable of being fully or readily comprehended by the public; accessible; also, having an obvious application.
  • External.
  • Having wide currency; popular, prevalent.

Noun

  • A person who is not part of an enlightened inner circle, and not privy to esoteric knowledge; an outsider, an uninitiate.

Examples

  • His exoteric strategy was easy to follow, unlike some complex Words With Friends maneuvers.

Origin / Etymology

PIE word
*h₁eǵʰs
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin exōtericus + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). Exōtericus is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξωτερῐκός (exōterĭkós, “exterior, external, outside”, adjective), from ἐξωτέρω (exōtérō, “more exterior”) (the comparative form of ἔξω (éxō, “external, outer”) (ultimately from ἐκ (ek, “beyond; outside”, preposition), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + -τέρω (-térō) (an inflected form of -τερος (-teros, suffix forming comparative forms)) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming adjectives).
The noun is derived from the adjective.

Scrabble Score: 17

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

Words With Friends Score: 18

exoteric: valid Words With Friends Word