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Say I have an obscure topic or hobby I'm really interested in but no one else wants to hear me talk about it. To describe that hobby/topic I think "esoteric" is close but seems to imply that few others can understand it; in this case they can understand it fine but don't care to hear about it. I think "boring" could probably be a word used to describe such an interest but wouldn't necessarily capture that meaning (and it isn't boring to me).

My solo fantasy-ant-farming league is so _____ that no one is interested in talking about it.

chiliNUT
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    Move the word "interest": My solo interest in fantasy-ant-farming league is so esoteric that no one else wants to hear it. – Yosef Baskin Mar 28 '22 at 23:51
  • @YosefBaskin its a solo fantasy ant farming league because I am the only member. Also still not sure if esoteric fits due to the reason stated in the question, that esoteric implies they cant understand it vs just arent interested – chiliNUT Mar 29 '22 at 00:02
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    In my version, the league is not esoteric to understand, my interest is. – Yosef Baskin Mar 29 '22 at 00:05
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    @chiliNUT Mothers around the world will be very happy to hear that it's a fantasy league. – DjinTonic Mar 29 '22 at 00:38

4 Answers4

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My solo fantasy-ant-farming league is so niche that no one is interested in talking about it.

niche (adj.)

Denoting products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population.

The video game industry is no longer niche Lexico

Denoting or relating to a product, service, etc., that occupies or exploits a niche in the business world (see sense A. 4c); as niche market, niche player, niche product, etc. Hence more generally: narrow or specialized in scope or appeal; exclusive.

1978 Chem. Week (Nexis) 6 Dec. (Management section) 45 The thrust of Uniroyal's growth in chemicals and plastic materials is development of ‘niche’ products. (OED)

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As the domain of use for niche has expanded, so has its utility as a modifier. Perhaps the use of niche in a figurative sense coincided with its use as an adjective and its potential for application to domains outside of architecture and ecology, not in a causative way, but in a way that suggests it is speakers' use of words that determines meaning and grammatical category (not the other way around). A. Burkette and W. Kretzschmar Jr.; Exploring Linguistic Science (2018)

Google Ngram: enter image description here

DjinTonic
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Esoteric implies something isn't understood due to a conscious effort at concealment. Arcane may be better. It has a broader range of usage, including obscure. But I would run with peculiar. It primarily concerns the limited scope of participation.

: characteristic of only one person, group, or thing : DISTINCTIVE https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peculiar

Phil Sweet
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It could be your unique obsession as only you actually care about it. Or if you need the word to fit the sentence you gave then exclusive would do the trick, as others are excluded due to its excrutiating dullness.

Roger Heathcote
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Uncommon fits here well, as it doesn't carry with it any hints as to the quality or understandability of the activity. It's simply that so few people do it, or know about it, that interest and awareness is low. Thus, "My solo fantasy-ant-farming league is so uncommon that no one is interested in talking about it."

Shane
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