1
as in profound
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
metaphysics is such an esoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers
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2
as in confidential
not known or meant to be known by the general populace
must have had some esoteric motive for leaving his art collection to a museum halfway around the globe
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Recent Examples of esoteric
The Treatment Components Over the course of four days of the Rebalance and Energize program, refined by various medical and nutritional consultations and diagnoses, my agenda was a lineup of esoteric/scientific, alternative therapy and purely sybaritic offerings.
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Laurie Werner, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
The Plumber had a sideline in exotic investment plays—heady, esoteric, out-of-the-box stuff.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2024
Read the full Scorpio Daily Horoscope Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Exploring esoteric interests?
—USA TODAY, 13 Oct. 2024
The site, called Encore, aggregates items from hundreds of resale websites and helps shoppers find esoteric and unique items—the proverbial needles in the haystack.
—Elissaveta M. Brandon, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for esoteric 
Laurie Werner, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
The Plumber had a sideline in exotic investment plays—heady, esoteric, out-of-the-box stuff.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2024
Read the full Scorpio Daily Horoscope Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Exploring esoteric interests?
—USA TODAY, 13 Oct. 2024
The site, called Encore, aggregates items from hundreds of resale websites and helps shoppers find esoteric and unique items—the proverbial needles in the haystack.
—Elissaveta M. Brandon, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for esoteric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for esoteric
Adjective
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This is compounded by the fact that at the center of the black hole lies a singularity, at which point all our laws of physics break down, making gibberish of even our most nuanced and profound achievements in physics.Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2024
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Will the party thread the needle with policy designs that secure the profound changes the privileged want but obscure the toll to its electoral base?David Faris, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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According to people familiar with the confidential talks, New York’s negotiators have offered New Jersey hundreds of millions of dollars to settle the lawsuit.Ana Ley, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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Sarkozy, a conservative who remains an important figure in French politics even after leaving office in 2012, had been found guilty by a lower court of trying to bribe a judge and of peddling influence in exchange for confidential information about a probe into his 2007 campaign finances.Reuters, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The couple's use of the private judge has kept the details of the divorce largely under wraps.Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Jan. 2025
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The bill removes an exemption for a private party transactions.Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps your secret ingredient is cream cheese, buttermilk, or eggs (which is Joanna Gaines’ go-to).Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024
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The secret key can be unlocked only when the user authenticates to the physical key using a PIN, password, or most commonly a fingerprint or face scan.Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Freshman guard Kennedy Smith, in her second game back from an undisclosed operation, was key to holding Michigan’s guards at bay.Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
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Some were taken to an undisclosed location, while others were transferred to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was rendered inoperable earlier this week following an Israeli raid.David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Esoteric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/esoteric. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
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