Occult
adjective / noun /əˈkʌlt/ — Hidden from ordinary understanding — the knowledge beyond the visible.
Definition
Of, involving, or relating to supernatural, mystical, or magical powers or phenomena; not divulged; beyond the range of ordinary knowledge.
Beyond the definition
Occult literally means 'hidden' — it shares a root with 'conceal'. Before it became associated specifically with magic and mysticism, it described any knowledge hidden from ordinary view. Science itself was once called occult philosophy. The word names the human fascination with what lies beyond the explanations we have.
Origin & history
From Latin occultus 'hidden, secret', past participle of occulere 'to cover over, conceal' — from ob 'over' + a root related to celare 'to hide'. The same root gives us 'conceal' and 'cell'.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The library's occult section was the smallest and the most borrowed.
In the Renaissance, astrology, alchemy, and natural magic were serious occult sciences.
She had an occult knowledge of the city's history — things she'd found in archives no one else had visited.
Synonyms
Antonyms
manifest, obvious, disclosed, rational
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Studying mysterious, hidden artifacts
An archaeologist studies a spiral seal and geometric tablet under candlelight, focusing on their mysterious, secret nature.
The symbols on the tablets are occult—not divulged and beyond ordinary understanding. They represent hidden knowledge that is kept away from the light, requiring an initiate to interpret the mystical, magical powers or phenomena they may contain.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration