abstruse

adjective

ab·​struse əb-ˈstrüs How to pronounce abstruse (audio)
ab-
formal
: difficult to comprehend : recondite
the abstruse calculations of mathematicians
abstruse concepts/ideas/theories
abstrusely adverb
abstruseness noun

Did you know?

Latin Ties Things Together With Abstruse

Look closely at the following Latin verbs, all of which are derived from the verb trudere ("to push, thrust"): extrudere, intrudere, obtrudere, protrudere. Remove the last two letters of each of these and you get an English descendant whose meaning involves pushing or thrusting. Another trudere offspring, abstrudere, meaning "to push away" or "to conceal," gave English abstrude, meaning "to thrust away," but that 17th-century borrowing has fallen out of use. An abstrudere descendant that has survived is abstruse, an adjective that recalls the meaning of its Latin parent abstrūsus, meaning "concealed."

Examples of abstruse in a Sentence

Her subject matter is abstruse. you're not the only one who finds Einstein's theory of relativity abstruse
Recent Examples on the Web Hollywood places a naturally high premium on narrative coherence, whereas Herbert’s text—with its abstruse tangle of names and concepts, its intricate layering of conscious and subconscious perspectives—demands otherworldly leaps of imagination. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2024 Here, her motives are more abstruse, to slightly dimmed dramatic effect. Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Feb. 2024 Her voice was as engaging and charming as her ex-husband’s was abstruse and highfalutin. Penelope Green, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023 While many of the details of their investigation are abstruse to the casual coffee drinker, their paper contains simple, actionable results for a person trying to keep a tidier kitchen or a barista trying to create an efficient and more intense shot of espresso. Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023 Like bird-watching or gardening, overseeing homework is a specialized and abstruse hobby. Saul Austerlitz, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023 First published in 1619, Kepler’s treatise was both an abstruse work of mathematics and a vision of the universe as a kind of celestial music box. Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023 No subject is too abstruse for his fiendishly playful comic imagination. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2023 Many of the fiercest issues of contention in contemporary discourse can be put aside if these abstruse philosophical claims are correct. Oliver Traldi, Washington Examiner, 1 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abstruse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin abstrūsus "concealed, recondite," from past participle of abstrūdere "to conceal," from abs- (variant of ab- ab- before c- and t-) + trūdere "to push, thrust" — more at threat entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1549, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abstruse was circa 1549

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Dictionary Entries Near abstruse

Cite this Entry

“Abstruse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abstruse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abstruse

adjective
ab·​struse əb-ˈstrüs How to pronounce abstruse (audio)
ab-
: hard to understand
abstrusely adverb
abstruseness noun

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