Synonyms for abstruse
æbˈstrusab·struse

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. abstruse

   That is complex which is made up of several connected parts. That is compound in which the parts are not merely connected, but fused, or otherwise combined into a single substance. In a composite object the different parts have less of unity than in that which is complex or compound, but maintain their distinct individuality. In a heterogeneous body unlike parts or particles are intermingled, often without apparent order or plan. Conglomerate (literally, globed together) is said of a confused mingling of masses or lumps of various substances. The New England pudding-stone is a conglomerate rock. In a complex object the arrangement and relation of parts may be perfectly clear; in a complicated mechanism the parts are so numerous, or so combined, that the mind can not readily grasp their mutual relations; in an intricate arrangement the parts are so intertwined that it is difficult to follow their windings; things are involved which are rolled together so as not to be easily separated, either in thought or in fact; things which are tangled or entangled mutually hold and draw upon each other. The conception of a material object is usually complex, involving form, color, size, and other elements; a clock is a complicated mechanism; the Gordian knot was intricate; the twining serpents of the Laocoon are involved. We speak of an abstruse statement, a complex conception, a confused heap, a heterogeneous mass, a tangled skein, an intricate problem; of composite architecture, an involved sentence; of the complicated or intricate accounts of a great business, the entangled accounts of an incompetent or dishonest bookkeeper.

   Synonyms:
   complex, complicated, composite, compound, confused, conglomerate, entangled, heterogeneous, intricate, involved, manifold, mingled, mixed, multiform, obscure, tangled

   Antonyms:
   clear, direct, homogeneous, obvious, plain, simple, uncombined, uncompounded, uniform, unraveled

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. abstruse

   Synonyms:
   hidden, recondite, difficult, profound, deep, curious, obscure, mystical, occult, hard, dark

   Antonyms:
   patent, popular, superficial, simple, obvious, trite, intelligible, lucid, plain, easy, manifest, clear

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abstruse, deep, reconditeadjective

   difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

   "the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them"; "a deep metaphysical theory"; "some recondite problem in historiography"

   Synonyms:
   cryptic, deep, mysterious, inscrutable, cryptical, bass, thick, recondite, mystifying, rich

   Antonyms:
   exoteric

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. abstruseadjective

   Synonyms:
   recondite, occult, profound, hidden, transcendental, obscure, difficult, dark, enigmatical, mysterious, mystic, mystical, high, abstract, abstracted, subtile, refined

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abstruseadjective

   Synonyms:
   recondite, obscure, incomprehensible

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Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to use abstruse in a sentence?

1. Woodward Fischer:

   This discovery from Jared Leadbetter and Hang fills a major intellectual gap in our understanding of Earth's elemental cycles, and adds to the diverse ways in which manganese, an abstruse but common transition metal, has shaped the evolution of life on our planet.