abstruse

adjective

əb-ˈstrüs How to pronounce abstruse (audio)
Definition of abstrusenext
as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand you're not the only one who finds Einstein's theory of relativity abstruse

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abstruse So his analysis may wobble here and there on the abstruse particulars of, say, inference costs. — Tommy Craggs, Wired News, 27 Oct. 2025 But the turn feels less absurd than abstruse, sudden even, given the film’s prior resistance to laugh at itself. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025 Also, his estimate arose from abstruse economic formulas and lots of magic asterisks. — Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025 Into Breaking Its Own Rules To emphasize the importance of math, Winkler displayed a handful of abstruse equations. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for abstruse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstruse
  1. esoteric
  2. profound
Adjective
  • Baseball is a sport that thrives on statistics, no matter how esoteric, but there appears to be no record of a professional baseball player previously wearing a mechanical watch during a game.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The rereleased games are fascinatingly esoteric, too, including the GBC versions of Croc, Croc 2, Earthworm Jim, and the Japan-only GB shmup, Chikyu Kaiho Gun Zas.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of esoteric
Adjective
  • The authors argue that this has profound implications for composite materials in general.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Twenty-nine years have passed since then, yet the memory of the princess—an empathetic woman who defied convention, vulnerable yet rebellious, and imbued with a profound humanity—remains vivid and very much alive in the eyes of the entire world.
    — Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of profound

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abstracts
abstruse
abstruseness
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Cite this Entry

“Abstruse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstruse. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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