Word a Day
esoteric
What does esoteric mean?
esoteric (adjective): confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle.
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you use esoteric in a sentence?
- A compilation of esoteric philosophical theories. (Princeton WordNet 3.1)
How do you pronounce esoteric?
/ˌɛsəˈtɛɹɪk/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does esoteric come from?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐσωτερικός (esōterikós, “belonging to an inner circle”), from ἐσωτέρω (esōtérō, “further inside”), comparative of ἔσω (ésō, “within”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “esoteric”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “esoteric” mean?
composed of inherently different or distinct elements; incongruous
Not quite: that's what disparate means.
similar or equivalent in some respects though otherwise dissimilar
Not quite: that's what analogous means.
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
Not quite: that's what stale means.
confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
Right! That's what “esoteric” means.
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