abstruse
Americanadjective
-
hard to understand; recondite; esoteric.
abstruse theories.
- Synonyms:
- arcane, unfathomable, incomprehensible
- Antonyms:
- obvious, simple, uncomplicated, clear
-
Obsolete. secret; hidden.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abstruse
1590–1600; < Latin abstrūsus thrust away, concealed (past participle of abstrūdere ), equivalent to abs- abs- + trūd- thrust + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
Abstruse things are difficult to comprehend because they are deep, complex, and intellectually challenging. While a riddle may be a little tricky to figure out, theoretical quantum entanglement is abstruse. The Latin root of the word abstruse is abstrusus, meaning "hidden, concealed, secret," which is a good way to remember the meaning of this word. It describes something so dense or complex that its meaning feels hidden from understanding. A theory or a text is abstruse when it requires deep study to uncover its "hidden" truth. Some famously abstruse topics include high-level mathematics like Category Theory, "the mathematics of mathematics," and certain coding languages, like Malbolge.
Vocabulary lists containing abstruse
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Frankenstein
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The tax applies to town houses worth more than $5 million, as well as condos and co-ops valued at more than $1 million, according to the city government’s abstruse methodology—and rates are steep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
That might sound like an abstruse philosophical argument, but he says it's a hot debate within the scientific community.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2025
After weeks of sometimes abstruse testimony, it took them only four hours to reach a verdict.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
The particle is part of a concept called the Higgs mechanism that was added to the standard model in the 1970s to explain an abstruse but important puzzle.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 27, 2024
Unable to decipher the abstruse writing, I shook my head.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
