esoteric
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehsuhtehrikSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɛsəˈtɛɹɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
“A compilation of esoteric philosophical theories.”
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
One who believes, or is an initiate, in esoteric doctrines or rites.
An esoteric doctrine or treatise; esoteric philosophy.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
Used this way, esoteric is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“A compilation of esoteric philosophical theories.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- occult , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use esoteric
- “A compilation of esoteric philosophical theories.”adjective
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.