English Explanatory Dictionary

exoteric

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of a doctrine, information, etc.: suitable to be imparted to the public without secrecy or other reservations.
  2. Of a person: not part of an enlightened inner circle; not privy to esoteric knowledge.
  3. Capable of being fully or readily comprehended by the public; accessible; also, having an obvious application.
  4. External.
  5. Having wide currency; popular, prevalent.
noun
  1. A person who is not part of an enlightened inner circle, and not privy to esoteric knowledge.

Pronunciation

/ˌɛksə(ʊ)ˈtɛɹɪk/ /ˌɛksəˈtɛɹɪk/ En-us-exoteric.ogg

Word forms

exoteric more exoteric most exoteric exoterics

Etymology

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin exōtericus + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). Exōtericus is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξωτερῐκός (exōterĭkós, “exterior, external, outside”, adjective), from ἐξωτέρω (exōtérō, “more exterior”) (the comparative form of ἔξω (éxō, “external, outer”) (ultimately from ἐκ (ek, “beyond; outside”, preposition), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + -τέρω (-térō) (an inflected form of -τερος (-teros, suffix forming comparative forms)) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming adjectives). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Synonyms

exoterical uninitiated commonplace intelligible ordinary simple straightforward understandable apprehensible clear limpid comprehensible explainable explicable explicatable fathomable graspable illuminable lucid pellucid perspicuous tangible common prevailing noninitiate uninitiate outsider

Antonyms

esoteric arcane cerebral inscrutable unintelligible abstruse Chinese dense enigmatic fathomless Greek inapprehensible incognizable incomprehensible ineffable inenubilable inexplicable impenetrable insensible insoluble insolvable mysterious nonunderstandable obscure retruse tenebrose thick undecipherable undiscoverable unexplainable unfathomable ungraspable unknowable ununderstandable

Derived words

exoterical exoterically exotericism exoterics

Translations

Bulgarian: общодостъпен Catalan: exotèric Dutch: exoterisch Dutch: openbaar Finnish: eksoteerinen Finnish: julkistettavissa (oleva) Finnish: yleisölle soveltuva French: exotérique Italian: essoterico Korean: 대중적 Macedonian: општопри́фатен Macedonian: егзоте́ричен Persian: ظاهر Persian: زودفهم Portuguese: exotérico Romanian: exoteric Russian: экзотери́ческий Russian: общедосту́пный Serbo-Croatian: егзотѐричан Serbo-Croatian: egzotèričan Spanish: exotérico Swedish: exoterisk Turkish: egzoterik
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