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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Most commonsense Americans understand that there is no reason paying America's warriors should be held hostage to arcane debates over housing policy.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The rules are often arcane and not necessarily understood by the people who live in these places.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The rules are often arcane and not necessarily understood by the people who live in these places.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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Then there was the play that made many scratch their heads — the one when the Carolina Panthers’ game-tying field goal was blocked only for an esoteric NFL rule to award the Panthers with the ball, a new set of downs and great field position.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
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The ideological provocations of Madonna (Ciccone) iconography and the esoteric execution of Björk songs meet (again) in Lux’s palette of fixations.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In recent weeks, fans expressed concern after Spears posted dancing videos but opted to turn off comments on posts that had cryptic captions about her kids, Jayden James, 19, and Sean Preston, 20.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dropped a cryptic hint that a blockbuster trade was coming, and after the team acquired linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals, many fans and analysts criticized Jones for overdelivering.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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As if dark energy weren't already mysterious and baffling enough, new research suggests that this unknown force may not be driving galaxies apart at an accelerating rate anymore.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The goddess planet knows the art of seduction, but when transiting Scorpio, her sweetness is equally seductive and mysterious.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The potential to help cancer patients is profound.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Christo and Jeanne-Claude had a profound understanding of this.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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With stunning celerity, possibility becomes probability and then certainty, as readers reject the quiet, circuitous, and unglamorous narratives of prudential compromise, ambiguous diplomacy, or incremental progress.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ibsen’s choice to use Hedda’s maiden name for the play speaks to her resistance to the strong presence of men in her life; DaCosta’s choice to remove the surname entirely speaks to a rejection of patriarchal identity, replaced with an ambiguous void that Hedda herself doesn’t know how to fill.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
29 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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Add to that list Inhotim, a sprawling and relatively obscure contemporary art collection in the jungle of the state of Minas Gerais that surpasses any notion of what a museum can be.—
William O'Connor,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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Mamdani began his campaign as a relatively obscure state lawmaker, little known even within New York City.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Heeler family home is recreated in uncanny detail—from Bandit’s armchair to the backyard barbecue—with interactive games (led by a cheeky garden gnome named Rhonda), music, and secret nooks that delight kids and grown-ups.—
Alli Forde,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
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Working with rosters that were far from flawless, Bochy demonstrated an uncanny ability to push the right buttons and put players in positions to succeed.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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