recondite

[ rek-uhn-dahyt, ri-kon-dahyt ]

/ ˈrɛk ənˌdaɪt, rɪˈkɒn daɪt /

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adjective

dealing with very profound, difficult, or abstruse subject matter: a recondite treatise.

beyond ordinary knowledge or understanding; esoteric: recondite principles.

little known; obscure: a recondite fact.

Nearby words

reconcilable, reconcile, reconciliate, reconciliation, reconciliatory, recondite, recondition, reconfigure, reconfirm, reconnaissance, reconnaissance car

Origin of recondite

1640–50; earlier recondit < Latin reconditus recondite, hidden (orig. past participle of recondere to hide), equivalent to re- re- + cond(ere) to bring together (con- con- + -dere to put) + -itus -ite²

SYNONYMS FOR recondite

2 deep.

3 mysterious, occult, secret.

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ANTONYMS FOR recondite

2 exoteric.

3 well-known.

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Related forms

rec·on·dite·ly, adverbrec·on·dite·ness, nounun·rec·on·dite, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recondite

How else to explain the popularity of a novel so free of plot, so obsessed with existential rumination and recondite philosophy?
American Dreams: Saul Bellow’s Masterpiece of Lamentation|Nathaniel Rich|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Classical allusions, poetical turns of phrase, antique diction, recondite words.
David's Book Club: The Souls of Black Folk|David Frum|May 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In some recondite way it seemed that would have been indecent, an exposure of my new treasure to the vulgar gaze.
The Record of Nicholas Freydon|A. J. (Alec John) Dawson
They stared at him as though his words were words of recondite wisdom instead of the simple statement of a plain case.
Love-at-Arms|Raphael Sabatini

He selected for distinction several other remarks which were not more exquisite in their form, or recondite in their substance.
The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 (of 10)|Alexander Pope
He was afraid of missing some recondite principle in the overwhelming wealth of his material.
End of the Tether|Joseph Conrad
There is nothing subtle or recondite about it; it has a beauty which explains itself.
The Golf Courses of the British Isles|Bernard Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for recondite

recondite

/ (rɪˈkɒndaɪt, ˈrɛkənˌdaɪt) /

adjective

requiring special knowledge to be understood; abstruse

dealing with abstruse or profound subjects

Derived Forms

reconditely, adverbreconditeness, noun

Word Origin for recondite

C17: from Latin reconditus hidden away, from re- + condere to conceal

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