abstruse

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /æbˈstruːs/ UK /əbˈstruːs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
difficult to understand; obscure and recondite

The professor's abstruse remarks lost most of the class.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · difficult to understand;... obscure recondite esoteric arcane abstract profound cryptic

Opposites

obvious clear plain simple accessible straightforward

Word family

Forms abstrusely

Derived forms abstruselyabstrusenessabstrusity

Related forms intrude extrude thrust

Etymology

From Latin abstrūsus ('concealed, hidden'), past participle of abstrūdere ('to thrust away, conceal'), from abs- ('away') + trūdere ('to thrust, push').

abstrūdere Latin trūdere Latin *trewd- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# abstruse

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /æbˈstruːs/
**IPA (UK):** /əbˈstruːs/

## Meanings
1. difficult to understand; obscure and recondite

## Examples
- The professor's abstruse remarks lost most of the class.

## Synonyms
- obscure
- recondite
- esoteric
- arcane
- abstract
- profound
- cryptic

## Antonyms
- obvious
- clear
- plain
- simple
- accessible
- straightforward

## Derived Forms
- abstrusely
- abstruseness
- abstrusity

## Related Forms
- intrude
- extrude
- thrust

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: abstrūdere
- Root: trūdere
- Root: *trewd-

## Etymology
From Latin abstrūsus ('concealed, hidden'), past participle of abstrūdere ('to thrust away, conceal'), from abs- ('away') + trūdere ('to thrust, push').

## AI Etymology
Abstruse is from Latin abstrūsus ('concealed, hidden'), past participle of abstrūdere ('to thrust away, conceal'), from abs- ('away') + trūdere ('to thrust, push'). In present-day use, it means difficult to understand; obscure and recondite. Derived formations include abstrusely, abstruseness, and abstrusity. Related vocabulary includes intrude, extrude, and thrust.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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