Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

abstruse

/əbˈstɹus/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.13 in modern English

Syllables
abs-truse
IPA
/əbˈstɹus/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Difficult to comprehend or understand; obscure.

Formal

adj

Concealed or hidden; secret.

Formal; Obsolete

Example Sentences

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”)

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /əbˈstɹus/
  • British English: /əbˈstɹuːs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

abstruser (comparative) more abstruse (comparative) abstrusest (superlative) most abstruse (superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce abstruse?
The recorded pronunciation is /əbˈstɹus/.
What does abstruse mean?
Difficult to comprehend or understand; obscure.
Where does abstruse come from?
It is traced to Proto-Indo-European.

How to pronounce abstruse

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “abstruse”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əbˈstɹus/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “abstruse”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “abstruse” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.