esoteric
/ˌɛs.əʊˈtɛɹ.ɪk/adjective
Meant for or understood by only a small circle of people who share special knowledge or interests.
Example sentences
- “The lecture was too esoteric for anyone outside the physics department.”
- “He collects esoteric books on medieval alchemy.”
Neutral to faintly critical: esoteric interests are respectably obscure, but esoteric jargon shuts readers out. The opposite, 'exoteric', is rare.