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Something that is arcane is mysterious and secret, known and understood by only a few people.
If you describe a system or process as byzantine, it means that you are criticizing it because it is excessively complicated and difficult to understand.
A conundrum is a problem or puzzle that is difficult or impossible to solve.
When you decipher a message or piece of writing, you work out what it says, even though it is very difficult to read or understand.
To divulge something is to reveal information that was once private or secret.
If you elucidate something, you make it easier to understand by giving more relevant information.
Someone or something that is enigmatic is mysterious and difficult to understand.
Someone who is erudite is steeped in knowledge because they have read and studied extensively.
Something esoteric is known about or understood by very few people.
To explicate an idea or plan is to make it clear by explaining it.
An exposition is a detailed explanation or setting forth of an idea, theory, or problem, either in a written or spoken format.
When you expound something, you explain it in great detail, often taking a while to do so.
A garbled message or speech is confusing and not understandable, often because it is spoken in a hurry or is communicated with lots of accompanying noise.
If you gloss a difficult word, phrase, or other text, you provide an explanation for it in the form of a note.
An illustrative example serves to explain or describe something, often by providing pictures.
If an idea or thought is incisive, it is expressed in a penetrating and knowledgeable manner that is clear and brief; additionally, it can demonstrate impressive understanding of related ideas or thoughts.
If you describe a situation or process as labyrinthine, you mean that it is very complicated, involved, and difficult to understand.
Lucid writing or speech is expressed in a way that is clear and easy to understand.
If you misconstrue something that has been said or something that happens, you understand or interpret it incorrectly.
If you describe something as nebulous, you mean that it is unclear, vague, and not clearly defined; a shape that is nebulous has no clear boundaries.
To obfuscate something is to make it deliberately unclear, confusing, and difficult to understand.
Something is opaque if it is either difficult to understand or is not transparent.
A parenthetical remark further explains or qualifies information.
Something that is pellucid is either extremely clear because it is transparent to the eye or it is very easy for the mind to understand.
Someone who demonstrates perspicacity notices or understands things very quickly.
If you peruse some written text, you read it over carefully.
When someone exhibits profundity, they display great intellectual depth and understanding; profundity can also be the depth or complexity of something.
Something that is turbid, such as water, is muddy or cloudy because it has lots of small pieces of matter or dirt in it.
If someone is unlettered, they are illiterate, unable to read and write.
Noun
exegesis
ek-si-JEE-sis
Context
The scholar spent his whole life writing a powerful exegesis or critical explanation of the sacred text. Dr. Scrimshaw’s book was used in college courses across the country because his exegesis of the religious work helped students understand modern interpretations of the ancient document. The exegesis or written analysis was 250 pages longer than the original document, but students still liked it because it explained its difficult concepts in a simple and clear fashion.
Quiz:Try again!
What is exegesis?
The longest work of a scholar’s career.
A text that is widely accepted as worth studying.
An in-depth explanation that makes another piece of writing understandable.
Examining Jesus Many religious scholars have done their exegesis (or exegetical) work on examining the writings about Jesus.
Examples
'Now if my husband were sitting here,' Clinton continued, 'he would give you a very long exegesis as to why one team was better than the other.
—
CNN
The exegesis of Mark is by Episcopal Professor Frederick C. Grant of Union Theological Seminary, and the exposition by Methodist Professor Halford E. Luccock of Yale Divinity School.
—
TIME
Each week the pulpit at Union is alive with story and exegesis of text, with cultural diagnosis and calls to action, with counsel for souls and flashing wit — all interwoven in the best tradition of black sacred oratory.
—
The Atlantic
The most fascinating aspect of 'Little Ashes' is the, er, exegesis it offers for the 1929 film 'An Andalusian Dog.'
—
The Washington Post
Exegesis is the “bringing or leading” of clarity “out of or from” a difficult or confusing text.
Word Constellation
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Related Words
decipher ·
divulge ·
elucidate ·
erudite ·
esoteric ·
explicate ·
exposition+ ·
expound+ ·
gloss ·
illustrative+ ·
incisive ·
lucid ·
parenthetical+ ·
pellucid ·
perspicacity ·
peruse ·
profundity ·
arcane ·
byzantine ·
conundrum ·
enigmatic ·
garbled ·
labyrinthine ·
misconstrue ·
nebulous ·
obfuscate ·
opaque ·
turbid ·
unlettered ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
exegetical
adj
→
of or pertaining to the critical analysis of a text
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.
