abstruse
Americanadjective
-
hard to understand; recondite; esoteric.
abstruse theories.
- Synonyms:
- arcane , unfathomable , incomprehensible
- Antonyms:
- obvious , simple , uncomplicated , clear
-
Obsolete. secret; hidden.
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- abstrusely adverb
- abstruseness noun
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
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.
As they see it, hashing out the abstruse subtleties wrapped up in the idea of forgiveness is a distraction from the task at hand.
From Salon
Quantum theory may be weird and notoriously abstruse, but it is foundational to modern physics.
From Washington Post
So it is with the material of our heroine’s life: There’s a right way to fashion it, even if at first it seems abstruse.
From Los Angeles Times
Björk’s production and arrangements on “Fossora” present her at her most unapologetically abstruse: closer to contemporary chamber music than to pop, rock or dance music.
From New York Times
The Fed’s methods of dealing with inflation are abstruse stuff.
From New York Times
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.
