English Explanatory Dictionary

abstruse

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Difficult to comprehend or understand; obscure.
  2. Concealed or hidden; secret.

Pronunciation

/əbˈstɹuːs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-abstruse.wav /əbˈstɹus/ /æb-/ /əbˈstɹʉs/

Word forms

abstruse abstruser more abstruse abstrusest most abstruse

Etymology

PIE word *h₂epó Learned borrowing from Latin abstrūsus (“concealed, hidden; having been concealed”), an adjective use of the perfect passive participle of abstrūdō (“to conceal, hide; to push or thrust away”), from abs- (from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away; from; away from’)) + trūdō (“to push, shove; to thrust”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *trewd- (“to push; to thrust”)). Cognates * Catalan abstrús * German abstrus (“abstruse”) * Italian astruso (“abstruse”) * Middle French abstruse (modern French abstrus, abstruse (“(derogatory, literary) abstruse”) * Portuguese abstruso (“abstruse”) * Spanish abstruso (“abstruse”)

Synonyms

abstrusive arcane cryptic esoteric recondite abstruse Chinese dense enigmatic fathomless Greek inapprehensible incognizable incomprehensible ineffable inenubilable inexplicable impenetrable insensible inscrutable insoluble insolvable mysterious nonunderstandable obscure retruse tenebrose thick undecipherable undiscoverable unexplainable unfathomable ungraspable unintelligible unknowable ununderstandable abstrused clandestine surreptitious behind the scenes catlike backroom stealth cloak-and-dagger concealed confidential covert deep-laid dern disguised furtive huggermugger hush-hush inconspicuous incognito low profile lurksome lurky mousy obfuscated

Antonyms

clear obvious understandable apprehensible limpid comprehensible explainable explicable explicatable fathomable graspable illuminable intelligible lucid pellucid perspicuous straightforward tangible open patent unconcealed unhidden

Related words

abstrude abstrused abstrusion abstrusive abstrusively retruse

Derived words

abstrusely abstruseness abstrusity non-abstruse
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