abstruse

[ ab-stroos ]

adjective

1. hard to understand; recondite; esoteric:

   abstruse theories.

   Synonyms: arcane, unfathomable, incomprehensible

   Antonyms: uncomplicated, obvious, simple, clear

2. Obsolete. secret; hidden.

abstruse

/ əbˈstruːs /

adjective

1. not easy to understand; recondite; esoteric

Derived Forms

• abˈstrusely, adverb
• abˈstruseness, noun

Other Words From

• ab·strusely adverb
• ab·struseness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of abstruse¹

1590–1600; < Latin abstrūsus thrust away, concealed (past participle of abstrūdere ), equivalent to abs- abs- + trūd- thrust + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of abstruse¹

C16: from Latin abstrūsus thrust away, concealed, from abs- ab- ¹+ trūdere to thrust

Example Sentences

I wasn’t expecting to write such a sentence about an abstract and some might even say abstruse Sondheim musical that has had only one short-lived Broadway revival.

From Los Angeles Times

A figure of undisputed authority in some of the most abstruse corners of computing, Conway was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1989.

From Los Angeles Times

The members kept peppering Daszak with questions about abstruse matters of science and the grant-making process, only to rudely cut him off when he tried to respond.

From Los Angeles Times

Higgs, who shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics and spent almost his entire career at the University of Edinburgh, could be as retiring as his work was abstruse.

From Science Magazine

The particle is part of a concept called the Higgs mechanism that was added to the standard model in the 1970s to explain an abstruse but important puzzle.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• esoteric
• perplexing