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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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
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
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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
-
With the head of the Demon Corps in danger, Tanjiro and the Hashira rush to the headquarters but are plunged into a deep descent to a mysterious space by the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Beyond this, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-Ray observatory also studied this spiral galaxy repeatedly and found mysterious regions known as ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs).—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
11 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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Unlike Europe's clear regulatory framework under PSD2, American enterprises operate in a more ambiguous environment where implementation decisions must account for evolving compliance requirements and uncertain regulatory timelines.—
Dave Glaser,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Dani's on-again, off-again relationship with playboy photographer Andre — who's also her sister's ex's nephew — has become more ambiguous than ever in recent weeks.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 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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For instance, in a now obscure 1944 speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt argued that the American Revolution remained an incomplete project.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Sep. 2025
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Department and team-level metrics expose inefficiency that company-wide averages often obscure.—
Heidi Farris,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, the resemblance was uncanny, from their matching smiles to their auburn-red hair, which Julia wore down in loose waves and Emma styled in a messy ponytail.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
11 Sep. 2025
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The job requires an uncanny ability to sell each bit of incremental progress as a success in and of itself.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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