The question says it all.
I see a lot of examples on this site of a word that is accepted for a question, but I would never hear that word in my life. I may see it if I read something, but my friends, coworkers, and family would never use it.
Note: Bonus if the word would not describe itself!
Best Answer
I'd go for...
...either of which words could reasonably be used to describe the other.
Here are a few hundred written instances of recondite vocabulary to show it is used thus.
For a more common/informal alternative (i.e. - one which imho definitely doesn't "describe itself", OP could always say "recondite" is a highfalutin word (academics don't use that one, so they don't care if it's spelt highfaluten, hifalutin, highfaluting, or whatever).