abstruse

adjective

ab·​struse əb-ˈstrüs 

ab-

formal

: difficult to comprehend : recondite

the abstruse calculations of mathematicians

abstruse concepts/ideas/theories

abstrusely adverb

abstruseness noun

Did you know?

Latin Ties Things Together With Abstruse

Look closely at the following Latin verbs, all of which are derived from the verb trudere ("to push, thrust"): extrudere, intrudere, obtrudere, protrudere. Remove the last two letters of each of these and you get an English descendant whose meaning involves pushing or thrusting. Another trudere offspring, abstrudere, meaning "to push away" or "to conceal," gave English abstrude, meaning "to thrust away," but that 17th-century borrowing has fallen out of use. An abstrudere descendant that has survived is abstruse, an adjective that recalls the meaning of its Latin parent abstrūsus, meaning "concealed."

Synonyms

• arcane
• deep
• esoteric
• hermetic
• hermetical
• profound
• recondite

Examples of abstruse in a Sentence

Her subject matter is abstruse.

you're not the only one who finds Einstein's theory of relativity abstruse

Recent Examples on the Web

Tunnelling, meanwhile, is an abstruse turn on a classic skill exemplified by the finest Dodger pitcher of them all, Sandy Koufax. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024

At the heart of the progress has been von Neumann’s abstruse research. —Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024

Unimaginative critics misunderstood how 300 abstracted the West’s war impulse, but now Snyder offers facile, abstruse justifications for his characters’ erotic and violent impulses. —Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2024

In contrast to the abstruse beauty of the séance room, the primary bedroom and bath, which the homeowner calls the goddess suite, are all lightness and elegance, a pale-hued sanctuary that casts a spell of serenity tinged with decadence. —Mayer Rus, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin abstrūsus "concealed, recondite," from past participle of abstrūdere "to conceal," from abs- (variant of ab- ab- before c- and t-) + trūdere "to push, thrust" — more at threat entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1549, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

abstruse

adjective

ab·​struse əb-ˈstrüs 

ab-

formal

: hard to understand

abstrusely adverb

abstruseness noun