These adjectives have opposite meanings.
Esoteric means “not public or common knowledge” while exoteric refers to “knowledge or practices commonly taught or shared.” For example, mystical, magical, or occult practices are typically described as esoteric, while everything taught in public school is exoteric!
Both words often describe knowledge, beliefs, or practices of a religion or other belief-system, but they may be used in reference to any idea:
My philosopher friend’s ideas about physics and consciousness seem so esoteric they could be some kind of mysticism.
Exoteric Christianity tends to interpret The Bible as history, although its authors were mystics.
Notice that exoteric (taught to the public) contains the root ex- for “out”—i.e., “outside knowledge”; whereas esoteric refers to “inside knowledge.”
Esoteric is a more common word than exoteric, because it can be used metaphorically:
It is difficult to cook Asian food in the US because it requires esoteric ingredients.
In this case, esoteric is being used to mean “difficult to find” which makes sense, although it is not the traditional meaning of the word.
More Examples of How to Use "Esoteric" in a Sentence
- There's nothing esoteric about this book; you just don’t read often enough.
- My teacher writes esoterically, using obscure words and symbols.
- The esoteric aspects of yoga are difficult to understand and master, but those who have mastered them are respected.
- The esoteric nature of the ritual made me feel very uneasy.
- Tony is an expert in esoteric subjects, but he can’t screw in a light bulb.
More Examples of How to Use "Exoteric" in a Sentence
- Exoteric writing is meant to be accessible to the general public, as opposed to esoteric writing, which is meant for a small, select group of people.
- I’m reading an essay that is considered to be exoteric philosophy, but I still don’t understand a lick of it.
- Jill found the book disappointingly exoteric, because it described common things she already knew.
- The minister’s exoteric style of teaching the Bible has inspired countless people to lead better lives.
- Exoteric learning can help us improve our lives on a practical level, while esoteric learning can help us improve our lives on a spiritual level.
Esoteric vs Exoteric Review
Both of these words describe ideas, teachings, beliefs, and other cultural practices, or areas of interest.
Esoteric means “not known by, or suitable for, most people,” “not taught publically,” or, in general, “rare or hidden knowledge.” Esoteric knowledge and practices include, for example, advanced science, mysticism, and magic.
Exoteric refers to ideas and knowledge easy to find out about, commonly known, or publically taught.
These words often talk about religions, because most religions have both exoteric and esoteric sides; for example, the Catholic mass is exoteric, while rituals for summoning demons are esoteric. In Buddhism, the four noble truths are exoteric, while the energetic martial arts of the Shaolin monks are esoteric.