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Synonyms

exoteric

American  
[ek-suh-ter-ik] / ˌɛk səˈtɛr ɪk /

adjective

  1. suitable for or communicated to the general public.

  2. not belonging, limited, or pertaining to the inner or select circle, as of disciples or intimates.

  3. popular; simple; commonplace.

  4. pertaining to the outside; exterior; external.

exoteric British  
/ ˌɛksəʊˈtɛrɪk /

adjective

  1. intelligible to or intended for more than a select or initiated minority

    an exoteric account of a philosophical doctrine

  2. external; exterior

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • exoterically adverb
  • exotericism noun

Etymology

Origin of exoteric

First recorded in 1645–55; from Late Latin exōtericus “popular (e.g., of books), not technical or abstruse,” from Greek exōterikós “external, outside, popular,” equivalent to exṓter(os) “outer” (from exō- adverb and prefix + -teros comparative suffix also used for natural and complementary pairs) + -ikos adjective suffix; exo-, -ic

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.