Ar·ca·di·an
är-ˈkā-dē-ən 
1
often not capitalized
: a person who lives a simple quiet life
2
: a native or inhabitant of Arcadia
3
: the dialect of ancient Greek used in Arcadia
ar·ca·di·an
är-ˈkā-dē-ən
often capitalized
1
a
: of or relating to Arcadia or the Arcadians
b
: of or relating to Arcadian
2
: idyllically pastoral
especially
: idyllically innocent, simple, or untroubled
Examples of Arcadian in a Sentence
Adjective
the painter is well-known for depictions of mute, slightly mysterious figures in arcadian settings
Recent Examples on the Web
Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Nicolas Cage plays a father of two in the throes of a dystopian world in EW's exclusive first look at the trailer for post-apocalyptic thriller Arcadian.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024
Elsewhere in the lineup is the Nicolas Cage starrer Arcadian, the Lucy Boynton sci-fi feature The Greatest Hits, Rudy Mancuso’s Música, and Mary Louise Parker movie Omni Loop.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024
Employers like Arcadian Bank keep Blue Zones alive with their healthy vending options.
—Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023
Firefighters responded to the single-alarm fire at The Arcadian Hotel at 1200 Beacon St. around 2 a.m., officials wrote on the Brookline Fire Department’s Facebook page.
—Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023
On it, the September Arcadian Man, a pitcher of lemonade, and a to-do list: 1.
—Hazlitt, 14 June 2023
Officers were called to the Arcadian Apartments, at 4611 E. Loop 1604, just before 2 a.m. for a shooting in progress.
—Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News, 7 June 2023
New Berlin police continued the pursuit along Arcadian Avenue, Springdale Road, and Cleveland Avenue, with authorities setting up stop sticks — devices used to flatten the tires on passing vehicles — at various points.
—Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 25 May 2023
Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2023
Visitors will find more than arcadian Constable landscapes and genteel Gainsborough portraits of aristocrats.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
More ominously for his followers, Ona shaved off the Garibaldi beard that had been the emblem of his arcadian struggle.
—Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
This small town lies within the largest stand of ponderosa pine forests in the U.S., which is dotted with lakes and creeks, providing an arcadian backdrop to your stay.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2024
Over the next few decades, back to the soil, ski bum, and jam band dreams flourished in these arcadian corners.
—Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023
Until recently, the Falkland Islands were a quasi-feudal colony, in which an arcadian Britain of the past was preserved in microcosm—a population of eighteen hundred, territory a little larger than Jamaica.
—Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 29 June 2020
With hilltop farms in trouble, Potter’s wondrous arcadian refuge is increasingly a battleground for tourism, but what form of tourism is the question.
—Kieran Dodds, Smithsonian, 20 Apr. 2018
The formal precision in these pictures can be eye-popping, and the compositional symmetry and the positioning of the figures in arcadian settings evoke Mannerist, and, at other times, Pre-Raphaelite qualities.
—Philip Gefter, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2017
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Noun
The Oscar-winning actor, 60, attended the South by Southwest premiere of his new film Arcadian on Monday in Austin, Texas, just one day after attending the 2024 Oscars on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Nicolas Cage plays a father of two in the throes of a dystopian world in EW's exclusive first look at the trailer for post-apocalyptic thriller Arcadian.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024
Elsewhere in the lineup is the Nicolas Cage starrer Arcadian, the Lucy Boynton sci-fi feature The Greatest Hits, Rudy Mancuso’s Música, and Mary Louise Parker movie Omni Loop.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024
Employers like Arcadian Bank keep Blue Zones alive with their healthy vending options.
—Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023
Firefighters responded to the single-alarm fire at The Arcadian Hotel at 1200 Beacon St. around 2 a.m., officials wrote on the Brookline Fire Department’s Facebook page.
—Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023
On it, the September Arcadian Man, a pitcher of lemonade, and a to-do list: 1.
—Hazlitt, 14 June 2023
Officers were called to the Arcadian Apartments, at 4611 E. Loop 1604, just before 2 a.m. for a shooting in progress.
—Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News, 7 June 2023
New Berlin police continued the pursuit along Arcadian Avenue, Springdale Road, and Cleveland Avenue, with authorities setting up stop sticks — devices used to flatten the tires on passing vehicles — at various points.
—Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 25 May 2023
Adjective
But the most noteworthy addition to Mohonk is the Lakeview Summerhouse, the resort's first outdoor treatment room, in an arcadian pavilion overlooking Lake Mohonk and the surrounding Shawangunk Mountains.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2023
Visitors will find more than arcadian Constable landscapes and genteel Gainsborough portraits of aristocrats.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
More ominously for his followers, Ona shaved off the Garibaldi beard that had been the emblem of his arcadian struggle.
—Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
This small town lies within the largest stand of ponderosa pine forests in the U.S., which is dotted with lakes and creeks, providing an arcadian backdrop to your stay.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2024
Over the next few decades, back to the soil, ski bum, and jam band dreams flourished in these arcadian corners.
—Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023
Until recently, the Falkland Islands were a quasi-feudal colony, in which an arcadian Britain of the past was preserved in microcosm—a population of eighteen hundred, territory a little larger than Jamaica.
—Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 29 June 2020
With hilltop farms in trouble, Potter’s wondrous arcadian refuge is increasingly a battleground for tourism, but what form of tourism is the question.
—Kieran Dodds, Smithsonian, 20 Apr. 2018
The formal precision in these pictures can be eye-popping, and the compositional symmetry and the positioning of the figures in arcadian settings evoke Mannerist, and, at other times, Pre-Raphaelite qualities.
—Philip Gefter, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Arcadian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Arcadian. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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