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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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.
He rashly gave up a part in Lanford Wilson’s “The Hot L. Baltimore” in 1973 for the lead in a production of the abstruse Peter Handke play “Kaspar.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
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
It’s not exactly secret, but it’s abstruse enough that they hope most people, who aren’t fully conversant with the complexities of the program, won’t get the drift.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2025
Along with Goldman, Deutsche Bank was the leading market maker in abstruse mortgage derivatives.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
