as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
geochemistry is a recondite subject
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Recent Examples of recondite
But a few key paragraphs within the 88-page filing mention the exclusion and social shaming of non-iPhone users confined inside green chat bubbles, distinguishing this case from some of the more recondite explanations of tech market competition in recent years.
—
Lauren Goode, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024
There are familiar words describing nature particular to the U.S., like prairie, skunk, coyote and chipmunk, but also more recondite ones, like catawba (a species of grape and type of sparkling wine), catawampous (fierce, destructive) and cottondom (the region in which cotton is grown).
—Sarah Ogilvie, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2023
Other efforts required more recondite statistical analysis.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
Pierre Boulez — like Bernstein, a composer, though in a more recondite modernist mode — innovated with repertory mixtures and concert formats.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for recondite
Lauren Goode, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024
There are familiar words describing nature particular to the U.S., like prairie, skunk, coyote and chipmunk, but also more recondite ones, like catawba (a species of grape and type of sparkling wine), catawampous (fierce, destructive) and cottondom (the region in which cotton is grown).
—Sarah Ogilvie, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2023
Other efforts required more recondite statistical analysis.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
Pierre Boulez — like Bernstein, a composer, though in a more recondite modernist mode — innovated with repertory mixtures and concert formats.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for recondite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recondite
Adjective
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With the Games comes the quadrennial tradition of casual sports fans becoming experts in esoteric sports—for a couple weeks, at least.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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Much of the group’s cosmology derives from The Urantia Book, a mishmash of Christianity, metaphysics, and esoteric spirituality, that was purportedly written by celestial beings and published anonymously in 1955.—
Jane Borden,
Rolling Stone,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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For the journalist’s son, Anshul Chhatrapati, the verdict was a moment of profound relief after a fight extending nearly two decades.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Cuddihy and his colleagues theorized that these regular encounters with fire—and their unwanted consequences—would inevitably have a profound effect on any species over tens of thousands of years.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recondite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recondite. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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