exoteric

adjective

ex·o·ter·ic ˌek-sə-ˈter-ik

: suitable to be imparted to the public

the exoteric doctrine

compare esoteric

: belonging to the outer or less initiate circle

: relating to the outside : external

exoterically

ˌek-sə-ˈter-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Did you know?

Exoteric derives from Latin exotericus, which is itself from Greek exōterikos, meaning "external," and ultimately from exō, meaning "outside." Exō has a number of offspring in English, including exotic, exonerate, exorbitant, and the combining form exo- or ex- (as in exoskeleton and exobiology). The antonym of exoteric is esoteric, meaning "designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone"; it descends from the Greek word for "within," esō.

Examples of exoteric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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The High Sierra is exoteric—attentive to the general reader, instructive, open in character. —

Verlyn Klinkenborg, The Atlantic, 21 July 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin & Greek; Latin exotericus, from Greek exōterikos, literally, external, from exōterō more outside, comparative of exō outside — more at exo-

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler

The first known use of exoteric was in 1630

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