1
as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
grammatical rules that seem arcane to generations of students who were never taught grammar in the first place
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cryptic
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the rebate form uses arcane language, the only purpose of which seems to be to disqualify buyers from actually getting a rebate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
my predecessor in this job obviously had his own arcane system for filing things, and so I haven't a clue as to where anything is
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arcane
As the lesson droned on, the huge, inevitable poster on the classroom wall gave the students something arcane to look at and study as an alternative to dozing off and getting a tongue-lashing and possibly a piece of chalk tossed at your head.
—
David Szondy
august 27, New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2025
With Donald Trump’s outbursts amping up attention on the Federal Reserve and markets hanging with bated breath on what Chair Jerome Powell is going to do, arcane monetary policy has moved to center stage.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 24 Aug. 2025
Because of an arcane league rule, Smith was not permitted to take the Heat’s one available two-way contract.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Every chapter is loaded with arcane information delivered in an engaging style.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
David Szondy
august 27, New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2025
With Donald Trump’s outbursts amping up attention on the Federal Reserve and markets hanging with bated breath on what Chair Jerome Powell is going to do, arcane monetary policy has moved to center stage.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 24 Aug. 2025
Because of an arcane league rule, Smith was not permitted to take the Heat’s one available two-way contract.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Every chapter is loaded with arcane information delivered in an engaging style.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, tenure, even in the best schools, gets rewarded to professors who write articles filled with complex math or esoteric theories in sociology and psychology.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
While the syntax of esoteric languages may be hard to understand, the actual programming stack is often wonderfully simple.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But Fellowes remains cryptic when asked about possible spinoff series or films.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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The Maine native has a history of using her outfits to send cryptic messages.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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It’s often said that, in New Orleans’ French Quarter, the dead outnumber the living, that residual energy from the past continues to inhabit the neighborhood’s 300-year-old buildings and mysterious courtyards.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
-
When one of his old enemies resurfaces and his daughter is abducted, the movie turns into a game of cat and mouse with car chases aplenty as well as the involvement of militias and mysterious organizations.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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By the time the credits roll, Sound of Metal avoids all of the tired clichés that typically come from this sort of low-budget undertaking, and achieves something more introspective and, much like the hardest and most profound journeys in life, unresolved.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The shift has profound implications in House districts across the country, seeping into Democratic primaries as a possible liability for more centrist members.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Leaving out any vital details or stating the requirements in ambiguous ways is going to undermine the result.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Obviously this wasn’t the best call, regardless of the somewhat ambiguous state of Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship at the time.—
Olivia Petter,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yet Blanc’s real faith lies in the nearly mystic quality involved in seeing what the human animal is capable of.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
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In fact, the concept means to be a resistance against what the early-twentieth-century Catholic mystic philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called the noosphere, which for him converges throughout human history.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Sunway was transformed by Jeffrey Cheah from an obscure tin-mining company over the five decades into one of Malaysia’s biggest conglomerates with interests in construction, education, healthcare, infrastructure and real estate.—
Jonathan Burgos,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Robinson also explained the obscure engravings found on bullet casings that were left behind at the scene.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Law, the first guest of the night, was asked by Fallon about his uncanny ability to predict the future in his film roles in the past.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
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During an acting career lasting more than 60 years, Redford became a Hollywood icon with an uncanny knack for finding the perfect scene partner.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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