| Main Entry: | esoteric |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | mysterious, obscure |
Synonyms: |
Delphic, Orphic, Sibylline, abstruse, acroamatic, arcane, cabalistic, cryptic, deep, heavy, hermetic, hidden, inner, inscrutable, mystic, mystical, occult, private, profound, recondite, secret |
| Notes: | eclectic means selecting what seems best of various styles, methods, or ideas while esoteric means intended for and understandable by only a small knowledgeable group |
Antonyms: |
common, familiar, known, obvious, public, unmysterious |
| Main Entry: | abstruse |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult to understand |
Synonyms: |
Greek to me, abstract, clear as dishwater, complex, complicated, deep, enigmatic, esoteric, heavy*, hidden, incomprehensible, intricate, involved, muddy, obscure, perplexing, profound, puzzling, recondite, subtle, unfathomable, vague |
Antonyms: |
clear, concrete, easy, lucid, obvious, plain, simple |
| Main Entry: | arcane |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hidden, secret |
Synonyms: |
cabalistic, esoteric, impenetrable, mysterious, mystic, occult, recondite, unaccountable, unknowable |
Antonyms: |
common, commonplace, known, normal, outward |
| Main Entry: | cryptic |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | secret; obscure in meaning |
Synonyms: |
Delphian, Delphic, abstruse, ambiguous, apocryphal, arcane, cabalistic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, esoteric, evasive, hidden, incomprehensible, inexplicable, murky, mysterious, mystic, mystical, mystifying, occult, opaque, oracular, perplexing, puzzling, recondite, secretive, strange, tenebrous, unclear, unfathomable, uninformative, vague, veiled |
| Notes: | cryptic coloration helps conceal an animal; phaneric coloration makes an animal stand out |
Antonyms: |
clear, obvious, plain, seen, straightforward |
| Main Entry: | dark |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hidden, secret |
Synonyms: |
Delphian, abstruse, anagogic, arcane, cabalistic, complicated, concealed, cryptic, deep, enigmatic, esoteric, intricate, knotty, mysterious, mystic, mystical, mystifying, not known, obscure, occult, puzzling, recondite |
Antonyms: |
apparent, distinct, evident, manifest, plain, visible |
| Main Entry: | deep |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | abstract, complicated in meaning |
Synonyms: |
Delphic, Orphic, Sibylline, abstruse, acute, arcane, complex, concealed, difficult, discerning, esoteric, hard to understand, heavy*, hermetic, hidden, incisive, intricate, learned, mysterious, obscure, occult, penetrating, profound, recondite, sagacious, secret, serious, wise |
Antonyms: |
frivolous, ignorant, shallow, superficial, trivial, unintelligent |
| Main Entry: | difficult |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | complicated; hard to comprehend |
Synonyms: |
abstract, abstruse, baffling, bewildering, complex, confounding, confusing, dark, deep, delicate, enigmatic, enigmatical, entangled, esoteric, formidable, hard to explain, hard to solve, hidden, inexplicable, intricate, involved, knotty, labyrinthine, loose, meandering, mysterious, mystical, mystifying, nice, obscure, obstinate, paradoxical, perplexing, problematical, profound, puzzling, rambling, subtle, tangled, thorny, ticklish, troublesome, unclear, unfathomable, unintelligible, vexing |
Antonyms: |
easy, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated |
| Main Entry: | fine |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | discriminating, exact |
Synonyms: |
abstruse, acute, clear, critical, cryptic, delicate, distinct, enigmatic, esoteric, fastidious, fine-spun, hairline, hairsplitting, intelligent, keen, minute, nice, obscure, petty, precise, pure, quick, recondite, refined, sensitive, sharp, sterling, strict, subtle, tasteful, tenuous, trifling, unadulterated, unpolluted |
Antonyms: |
awkward, crude, uncouth, undiscriminating, unrefined |
| Main Entry: | heavy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult, severe |
Synonyms: |
abstruse, acroamatic, arduous, boisterous, burdensome, complex, complicated, confused, effortful, esoteric, formidable, grave, grievous, hard, harsh, intolerable, knotty, labored, laborious, onerous, oppressive, profound, recondite, rough, serious, solemn, stormy, strenuous, tedious, tempestuous, toilsome, tough, troublesome, turbulent, vexatious, violent, wearisome, weighty, wild |
Antonyms: |
easy, inconsequential, insignificant, trivial, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | hidden |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | unseen, secret |
Synonyms: |
QT, abstruse, buried, clandestine, cloaked, close, clouded, concealed, covered, covert, cryptic, dark, disguised, eclipsed, esoteric, hermetic, hermetical, imperceivable, in the dark, indiscernible, invisible, latent, masked, mysterious, mystic, mystical, obscure, occult, out of view, private, recondite, screened, secluded, sequestered, shadowy, shrouded, surreptitious, ulterior, undercover, underground, undetected, undisclosed, unexposed, unknown, unrevealed, veiled, withheld |
Antonyms: |
bare, exhibited, exposed, open, out, seen, showing, uncovered |