abstruse

[ ab-stroos ]
/ æbˈstrus /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR abstruse ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

hard to understand; recondite; esoteric: abstruse theories.
Obsolete. secret; hidden.

Origin of abstruse

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

OTHER WORDS FROM abstruse

ab·struse·ly, adverb ab·struse·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH abstruse

abstruse obtuse

Words nearby abstruse

abstractionism, abstractionist, abstractive, abstrict, abstriction, abstruse, abstrusity, absurd, absurd, theater of the, absurdism, absurdist

Words related to abstruseness

riddle, conundrum, subtlety, question, enigma, secrecy, problem, thriller, puzzlement, mystification, perplexity, stickler, cliffhanger, twister, occult, cryptogram, crux, difficulty, poser, why

Example sentences from the Web for abstruseness

British Dictionary definitions for abstruseness

abstruse
/ (əbˈstruːs) /

adjective

not easy to understand; recondite; esoteric

Derived forms of abstruse

abstrusely, adverb abstruseness, noun

Word Origin for abstruse

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