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
It was put into devastating effect last week when Beijing ramped up export restrictions on rare earth minerals and permanent magnets—arcane materials vital for myriad industrial processes and for which China enjoys a stranglehold on supply.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
For people who can spend entire careers focused on arcane problems or ideas, even a little popular recognition can be a life-changing path to consulting gigs or long-term funding or, with luck, to others building on your work after you’re gone.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Graff is an oddball with Fox Mulder-levels of arcane knowledge stuffed into his brain.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Our political campaign system is disjointed and complex, and our government is a behemoth filled with thousands of actors and arcane processes.
—Andrew Frank, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
For people who can spend entire careers focused on arcane problems or ideas, even a little popular recognition can be a life-changing path to consulting gigs or long-term funding or, with luck, to others building on your work after you’re gone.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Graff is an oddball with Fox Mulder-levels of arcane knowledge stuffed into his brain.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Our political campaign system is disjointed and complex, and our government is a behemoth filled with thousands of actors and arcane processes.
—Andrew Frank, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
-
Other of these esoteric features might actually be worth seeking out.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Duran had published articles on Tan and his wealthy colleagues, like Balaji Srinivasan, a tech investor who was promoting an esoteric but stubbornly influential concept called the Network State.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Welch announced their album Everybody Scream back in August, following a few cryptic teasers.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
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This led many fans to believe that online discussions and interviews referencing his expiring contract were part of an elaborate storyline, given Kross's cryptic persona.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In a decadent Venetian hotel, androgynous Eva is drawn to the mysterious Contessa.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
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When a mysterious prankster befalls the town of Middlesburg, 13-year-old Frances McCausland (Erin Chambers) gets blamed for the mischief.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Researchers believe the impact would have had a profound effect on the surrounding environment, reshaping landscapes and potentially influencing local ecosystems.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
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Set in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest, the film stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a solitary railroad worker navigating profound personal loss as the American frontier expands around him.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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According to the institute statement, which remained ambiguous about the mosquito’s permanence, the insect probably arrived via freight transportation.—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps its message is meant to be deliberately ambiguous—or maybe there’s no message at all.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Helena, meanwhile, was supposedly a mystic receiving directions from spiritual masters hidden in the Himalayas.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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This was the danger Madison considered — that mystic memory would falsely elevate the Constitution.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Some use protocols that are not designed to protect privacy, obscure ownership or fail to encrypt traffic properly.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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The jokes about gallon jars of mayonnaise perhaps obscure the company’s true power.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The stunning Louvre museum heist earlier this week in Paris offers an uncanny encapsulation of the broader society-wide phenomenon.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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The film examines the exhilarating and uncanny experience of meeting a blood brother for the first time in adulthood.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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