What does esoteric mean?
Word: Esoteric
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Esoteric means known to, or enjoyed by, only a small circle of people with special knowledge or interests.
Synonyms: arcane
How do you spell esoteric?
Syllables: es - o - ter - ic
Tricky part: The weak vowel just after es is an o. Esateric and eseteric are the usual slips, because that vowel is barely heard.
Watch out for: esateric, eseteric
Memory tip: Esoteric things are for the few, so let the o stand for only: only a few people ever get them.
Esoteric in a sentence
Example 1: Chess openings can seem esoteric until somebody explains them to you.
Example 2: The professor's lecture on ancient grammar was too esoteric for most of us.
Example 3: Her blog covers esoteric subjects such as the history of pencil sharpeners.
Fun Fact
It goes back to a Greek word meaning belonging to an inner circle.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
e_ot_ric
a) s, a
b) c, e
c) s, e
d) c, a
Show answer
c) s, e. An s comes after the opening vowel, and the stressed syllable has the e of terrible.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
esotteric
a) s
b) r
c) t
d) c
Show answer
c) t. The stressed syllable begins with a single t, as tell does.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word esoteric as used in the sentence:
My uncle collects esoteric facts about old railway timetables.
a) specialised
b) obscure
c) commonplace
d) rarefied
Show answer
c) commonplace. Commonplace facts are known to almost everyone, unlike the ones my uncle treasures.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. esoteric 2. etymolagy 3. calligrafy 4. anthropoligy
a) the art of beautiful handwriting
b) understood by just a handful of experts
c) the study of where words come from
d) the study of human societies
Show answer
b) understood by just a handful of experts. Anthropology and etymology both end in logy, and calligraphy ends in phy.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Pick the hobby that sounds the most esoteric.
a) buying ice cream on a summer evening
b) collecting postmarks from hill post offices
c) listening to popular film songs on the radio
d) watching the cricket final on television
Show answer
b) collecting postmarks from hill post offices
2. The comedian's joke was too esoteric for the hall. What probably happened?
a) everybody laughed at once
b) only a few people laughed
c) people asked to hear it again
d) the hall grew very noisy
Show answer
b) only a few people laughed
