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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arcane
Family businesses have been waiting impatiently for certainty on tax policy, as many of the 2017 improvements in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were made temporary to fit within the Senate’s arcane budget reconciliation restrictions.
—
Palmer Schoening, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
The Senate’s become consumed with a debate over the arcane provider tax, a mechanism health care providers use to get more federal dollars for Medicaid.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 26 June 2025
This seemingly arcane provision of tax law is vital to having a fair corporate tax code that encourages growth.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 June 2025
Meanwhile, data scientists as a species are mostly stuck on arcane technical metrics, with little attention to business metrics.
—Eric Siegel, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Palmer Schoening, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
The Senate’s become consumed with a debate over the arcane provider tax, a mechanism health care providers use to get more federal dollars for Medicaid.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 26 June 2025
This seemingly arcane provision of tax law is vital to having a fair corporate tax code that encourages growth.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 June 2025
Meanwhile, data scientists as a species are mostly stuck on arcane technical metrics, with little attention to business metrics.
—Eric Siegel, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
-
After Congress reversed course on accountability in 2015, results for everyone got worse, even as progressive jurisdictions started adopting increasingly esoteric equity strategies.—
Matthew Yglesias,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2025
-
Of course, Yamagata is a long way to go just to peep some jellyfish, so combine a visit with the misty temples of nearby Dewa Sanzan, three mountains sacred to the ascetics of the esoteric Shugendo religion.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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On Thursday, Bloom shared a series of cryptic quotes from Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung on Instagram.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
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The team also discovered two more new species: the cryptic Namib day gecko and the miniature Namib day gecko.—
Aspen Pflughoeft
July 3,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
In The Old Guard 2, following on from the climax of the first film, Andy must come to terms with her newfound mortality while preparing to face a mysterious foe (played by Uma Thurman).—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
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Before long, his life is plagued by a series of mysterious, sinister incidents that threaten to upend his success and bring about a most violent demise.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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His lens bore witness to humanity's darkest injustices and most profound resilience.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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The Court also found that Russia was responsible for violating the right to life by shooting down flight MH17 and had added to the profound suffering of the crash victims’ next of kin by being uncooperative and obstructive in the context of international efforts to uncover the truth.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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These beers had previously been included within larger, more ambiguous lager categories for the Great American Beer Festival competition, but the Brewers Association says the uniqueness and growing popularity of these styles warrants individual guideline recognition.—
Don Tse,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Tipping for other services may be more ambiguous and recommended as a dollar amount instead, like $10 per hour or $5 per bag carried or shuttle driven.—
Katie Kelton,
Boston Herald,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Further projects include psychological thriller The Olive Press, set in the mystic world of the Druze community in Mount Lebanon, from writer and director Samah El Kadi, and co-written by Nadim Chammas.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
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In an era when nearly everything feels politicized and uncertain, these mystic tools offer something precious: a means of reconnecting with ourselves.—
Michaela Trimble,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Outraged, Gauguin located an obscure French law that proved only children within a four-kilometre radius of a school were bound to attend.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
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Chartreuse Made by actual French monks based on a nearly 300-year-old secret recipe, this high-proof, kelly green spirit is a bit of an obscure flex.—
Amiel Stanek,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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These technologies can imitate voices, faces and even emotional expressions with uncanny precision.—
Jennifer C. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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The identity of Jake's owner remains as mysterious as the robot's uncanny ability to flatter strangers.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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