Word
Definition
adj. difficult to understand because the subject is very deep or complicated. You use this for ideas or writing that require a lot of effort to figure out.
adj. difficult to understand; obscure. Adjective, typically used of intellectual or academic subjects that are unnecessarily complex or recondite.
Examples
“The professor's lecture is too abstruse for me.”
“Few students managed to follow the abstruse philosophical arguments presented in the final chapter of the textbook.”
“The philosopher’s writing is often criticized for being intentionally abstruse, hiding simple concepts behind layers of technical jargon that serves only to alienate the general public.”
Examples
simple
“The professor's lecture is too abstruse for me.”
contextual
“Few students managed to follow the abstruse philosophical arguments presented in the final chapter of the textbook.”
complex
“The philosopher’s writing is often criticized for being intentionally abstruse, hiding simple concepts behind layers of technical jargon that serves only to alienate the general public.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “abstruse” in context.
Verb
01. become abstruse
“The lecture started clearly but quickly became abstruse when the professor introduced calculus.”
verb + adj
02. remain abstruse
“Despite several explanations, the core concepts of the theory remain abstruse to the public.”
verb + adj
Adjective
03. abstruse reasoning
“The judge's decision was based on abstruse reasoning that few legal experts could follow.”
adj + noun
04. abstruse terminology
“The manual was filled with abstruse terminology that confused the new technicians.”
adj + noun
05. highly abstruse
“Quantum physics is a highly abstruse subject for those without a strong background in math.”
adv + adj
06. unnecessarily abstruse
“Critics argued that the philosopher's latest book was unnecessarily abstruse and elitist.”
adv + adj
Etymology
PIE word *h₂epó Learned borrowing from Latin abstrūsus (“concealed, hidden; having been concealed”), an adjective use of the perfect passive participle of abstrūdō (“to conceal, hide; to push or thrust away”), from abs- (from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away; from; away from’)) + trūdō (“to push, shove; to thrust”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *trewd- (“to push; to thrust”)). Cognates * Catalan abstrús * German abstrus (“abstruse”) * Italian astruso (“abstruse”) * Middle French abstruse (modern French abstrus, abstruse (“(derogatory, literary) abstruse”) * Portuguese abstruso (“abstruse”) * Spanish abstruso (“abstruse”)
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Rare
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/abstruse
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0