Trivia Time

Which ancient philosopher’s private lectures were later described as "esoteric"?

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esoteric

American  

[es-uh-ter-ik] / ˌɛs əˈtɛr ɪk /

adjective

1. understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite.

   poetry full of esoteric allusions.

   Synonyms:

   enigmatic, cryptic, arcane, abstruse

2. belonging to the select few.

3. private; secret; confidential.

4. (of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group.

   the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras.

5. Computers. (of programming or a programming language) designed to test or explore an unusual programming concept, regardless of its usefulness.

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esoteric British  

/ ˌɛsəʊˈtɛrɪk /

adjective

1. restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority, esp because of abstruseness or obscurity Compare exoteric

   an esoteric cult

2. difficult to understand; abstruse

   an esoteric statement

3. not openly admitted; private

   esoteric aims

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Usage

What does esoteric mean? Esoteric most commonly means obscure and only understood or intended to be understood by a small number of people with special (and perhaps secret) knowledge. It’s often used to describe knowledge that’s only intended to be revealed to people who have been initiated into a certain group. The word is often associated with mysticism and the occult. Such knowledge can be collectively referred to as esoterica, which can also refer collectively to books and other works that contain such topics. Example: To the uninitiated, this kind of esoteric knowledge is impenetrably arcane.

Other Word Forms

• esotericism
  noun
• nonesoteric
  adjective
• unesoteric
  adjective
• esoterically
  adverb
• nonesoterically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of esoteric

First recorded in 1645–55; from Greek esōterikós “inner,” equivalent to esṓter(os) “inner” + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Pssst... do you know the secret handshake? If you haven't been brought into the inner circle of those with special knowledge, esoteric things will remain a mystery to you. In the olden days, achieving esoteric knowledge meant getting initiated into the mystical arts, learning secrets unknown to regular folks. Now when a subject is called esoteric it's usually something not so mystical but still hard to penetrate: financial accounting might seem esoteric for people who get easily stumped filling out their tax forms. Americans might find the sport of cricket to be esoteric, but the rules of baseball can be just as impenetrable to outsiders. The infield fly rule? Totally esoteric.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

esoteric

“People experiencing homelessness — and the communities impacted by this crisis — care less about esoteric debates over the numbers,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

We go on a short hike while Yarvin, who looks like an ageing punk rocker, speaks in circuitous, long-winded yarns that reference esoteric texts and periods of history to prove his points.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Muir confesses that this feature of the market is overlooked by many market players, partly because it’s esoteric and seemingly innocuous.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

The investigation portrayed a side of the egg business that few consumers ever encounter: an esoteric trading system built around an online marketplace that antitrust enforcers said could be manipulated by sharp traders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

The man and woman stepped into the room stiffly side by side as though right out of a familiar, though esoteric, anniversary daguerrotype on a wall.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

• abstruse
• arcane
• mystical