exoteric

Meaning

Adj

1. Of a doctrine, information, etc.: suitable to be imparted to the public without secrecy or other reservations.
2. (broadly) Of a doctrine, information, etc.: suitable to be imparted to the public without secrecy or other reservations.
3. Capable of being fully or readily comprehended by the public; accessible; also, having an obvious application.
4. (archaic) External.
5. (archaic, rare) Having wide currency; popular, prevalent.

Noun

A person who is not part of an enlightened inner circle, and not privy to esoteric knowledge; an outsider, an uninitiate.

Opposite of

esoteric, arcane, cerebral, inscrutable, unintelligible, comprehensible

Synonyms

exoterical

exterior

external

extraneous

extrinsic

outer

outside

outward

popular

understandable to all

Translations

exotérique

exoterisch

εξωτερικός

exotérico

praktijkgericht

exotérica

openbaar

dışrak

essoterico

harici

exoterica

exotericum

exotericus

toegankelijk

zâhiri

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌɛksə(ʊ)ˈtɛɹɪk/

Etymology

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin exōtericus + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). Exōtericus is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξωτερῐκός (exōterĭkós, “exterior, external, outside”, adjective), from ἐξωτέρω (exōtérō, “more exterior”) (the comparative form of ἔξω (éxō, “external, outer”) (ultimately from ἐκ (ek, “beyond; outside”, preposition), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + -τέρω (-térō) (an inflected form of -τερος (-teros, suffix forming comparative forms)) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming adjectives).
The noun is derived from the adjective.