esoteric

adjective
UK: /ˌiː.səˈter.ɪk/
US: /ˌes.əˈter.ɪk/

  1. Known and understood by only a few people who have special knowledge.

    1. This is an esoteric book about the world of programming.
    2. The museum displays esoteric art that only specialists can fully appreciate.

  2. Difficult to understand; likely to be understood or enjoyed by only a few people.

    1. He has an esoteric sense of humor that I can't relate to.
    2. The lecture was so esoteric that most students struggled to follow the speaker.

Synonyms

arcane recondite abstruse unintelligible obscure

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "esoteric" in English means: Known and understood by only a few people who have special knowledge., Difficult to understand; likely to be understood or enjoyed by only a few people..

The phonetic transcription of "esoteric" is /ˌiː.səˈter.ɪk/ in British English and /ˌes.əˈter.ɪk/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "esoteric": arcane, recondite, abstruse, unintelligible, obscure.

Example usage of "esoteric": "This is an esoteric book about the world of programming.". More examples on the page.