1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the occult ways in which the human mind works
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2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
an occult reference in the text that has puzzled scholars ever since
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3
as in magic
having seemingly supernatural qualities or powers
Great Britain's Stonehenge is one of those occult places where people expect something of cosmic significance to happen
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as in to obscure
to keep secret or shut off from view
occulted their house from prying eyes by planting large trees around it the actor's private life had long been occulted by a contrived public persona
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of occult
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023
Other screening options include annual fecal occult blood tests which look for blood in the stool.
—Janelle Chavez, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2025
Object Of The Week: The Pleiades This week, the moon will occult the Pleiades, the closest open cluster of stars to the solar system and a spectacular sight with both the naked eye and through binoculars.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occult
Adjective
It’s a determinedly non-jokey supernatural thriller in which a group of Adelaide teens get in way over their heads playing an occult party game.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023
Other screening options include annual fecal occult blood tests which look for blood in the stool.
—Janelle Chavez, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023
Verb
January 13: In the early evening the full moon will occult—pass directly in front of—the planet Mars, eclipsing it.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2025
Object Of The Week: The Pleiades This week, the moon will occult the Pleiades, the closest open cluster of stars to the solar system and a spectacular sight with both the naked eye and through binoculars.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occult
Adjective
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In the game, Abby is introduced as a woman on a mysterious mission alongside her friends Mel (Ariela Barer), Nora (Tati Gabrielle), Owen (Spencer Lord) and Manny (Danny Ramirez).—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
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There have been numerous mysterious fires and explosions in Russia since Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Issues like ambiguous requirements cause misalignment and rework, while inadequate testing environments delay validation and debugging.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
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So this is in a very ambiguous state in an ambiguous country, and her mother’s illness is ambiguous.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Before the modern sports landscape worked its magic trick of exclusivity.—
Marcus Thompson II,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
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But the magic trick lies in making that highly individualized format adaptable so would-be-Romeos listening can easily purchase it right off the rack.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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There is also no record of its business name on a database of online companies and its website is registered to a private domain in Holland, obscuring its true origin.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
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Bouchard is the owner of a leisurely pace of play and that can sometimes obscure his contributions to winning games.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Tell me more about the album’s title—is it supposed to be a little cryptic?—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2025
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Prologue was first announced in 2019 with a cryptic trailer that showed a first-person view of a storm crashing through a dark forest.—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Founded on the ethos of art as a form of mystic healing, the label reimagines the family heirloom—and invites its patrons to examine their relationship with objects.—
Nia Shumake,
Essence,
3 Feb. 2025
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Healy Lake members have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions, according to Combs.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This process continues until one movie receives that magical 50% and is deemed the winner.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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How To Stop Drinking Alcohol For Good, According To Experts By Chris Janssen Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member community forum 0 My first sip of alcohol was magical.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Russia has to contend with a scenario where any shipping container in Ukraine – and there are tens of thousands - could potentially be concealing one of these systems.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
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The fact this all plays out in real-time heightens that effect considerably, sweeping us up in the maelstrom of Hart’s bravado thanks to Hawke’s signature charm, even if it is undercut by something else barely concealed below the surface.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Occult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occult. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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