abstruse
Other forms: abstruser; abstrusest
Abstruse things are difficult to comprehend because they are deep, complex, and intellectually challenging. While a riddle may be a little tricky to figure out, theoretical quantum entanglement is abstruse.
The Latin root of the word abstruse is abstrusus, meaning "hidden, concealed, secret," which is a good way to remember the meaning of this word. It describes something so dense or complex that its meaning feels hidden from understanding. A theory or a text is abstruse when it requires deep study to uncover its "hidden" truth. Some famously abstruse topics include high-level mathematics like Category Theory, "the mathematics of mathematics," and certain coding languages, like Malbolge.
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difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
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Vocabulary lists containing abstruse
Looking to build your vocabulary? Then practice this list of 300 "hard words" — the kind that used to be tested on the SAT before 2016. If you're a high school student prepping for the SAT, check out Vocabulary.com's Roadmap to the SAT, which focuses on the vocabulary you'll need to ace today's SAT test.
In this groundbreaking novel, Dr. Victor Frankenstein works feverishly to bring an inanimate creature to life — but when he finally succeeds, he is horrified by what he has unleashed.
Here's an assortment of ambiguous words to describe situations and things that are not easy to understand. For more synonym lists, explore our Say What You Mean resources.